A Valarindi for Durin's Folk
by ElvesofErebor
Summary: I saw the films, I knew the death that awaited the line of Durin on Ravenhill. To change that ending, I was willing to take the dangerous journey to Erebor and beyond. But how could I prevent this fate when I could not alter a single film scene. It seemed to be an impossible task and armed with nothing but a pendant and a riddle, answers had to come from elsewhere else.
1. the end, the beginning

**This first chapter takes place in our world, but don't worry! By chapter two, the OC will find herself somewhere else entirely!**

 **Chapter 1**

My life began on the night it ended. Yes, that's quite a statement to make, but I do believe it to be true. The events that delivered me from the mundane life that I now remember little of may have led me to death or to life. But either way, they led me to the same place that thirteen dwarves were led that night. To Bag End.

I tended to attract trouble wherever I went, but for some reason, I thought I could get through a school dance without causing havoc.

I had jumped at the chance to get out of the house for the night. My parents were still out and they didn't care what I did even when they were at home. As much as the music and the people made my ears ache, the silence was worse, so I had put on one of the useless and expensive dresses that my mother always tried to force me into, and a pair of heels that could easily have doubled as tent stakes, and I drove myself to the dance.

Upon my arrival at school, I had found the most comfortable corner of the gym floor, and proceeded to open my book. After an hour or so I looked up to find big Bill Stetson glowering down at me. Apparently I was blocking his route to the punch bowl, and he had come to ask me to move. He looked like a small mountain from where I was sitting, so naturally, I put my book down and stood to face him. It didn't help much. Even in heels I barely topped five foot.

"Can I help you?" I inquired skeptically.

"You're in my way, dwarf!" he scoffed back.

If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was insults about my height, but I was determined to ignore Bill, so I looked down. I was pleased to see that my useless designer dress had dust all over it, and I smirked in anticipation of the rant I would get from my mother. Bill, unfortunately, seemed to think that my facial expressions were aimed at him.

"You think I'm funny, midget?" he taunted.

And that pushed me over the edge.

I brought my heel down on his oversized foot, too late realizing that I was still wearing my stiletto heels. They turned out to be less like tent stakes, and more like steak knives. My heel pierced his shoe and became stuck in what I fervently hoped wasn't his foot. He let out a piercing shriek that told me exactly how much it had been his foot. I can only remember parts of what happened next. I tried to pull my heel out of his shoe and there was another scream. Somehow I ended up on the floor, my head on my backpack and a sharp pain in my ankle. He must have pushed me down in his anger. I silently prayed that everything was over, but I knew it wasn't. A small crowd had gathered around me, and Bill was in the midst of them holding my shoe over his head and yelling the school fight song. I groaned as I looked down to see my ankle was red and bloody. He had yanked the shoe off and was now parading it around like he owned it! He could keep it for all I cared, I just wanted to leave the place.

No one offered me a hand up, or even a sympathetic face. They would all back Bill in whatever stunt he attempted. I wasn't strong or athletic, but I wasn't about to lie there while they all goaded on that troll! I pushed myself to my feet and picked up my book.

At first no one seemed to notice my movements, but when I had collected my leather backpack, and begun to move to leave the gym, all eyes turned to me. I owed them no explanation, and I should have just left. But I wanted the last word.

"I'm really sorry Bill," I said in a tone that held no sincerity what so ever.

"Oh ya here that?! The little rugrats sorry!" He jeered back at me.

"Yes!" I snapped. "The little rugrat is very sorry that you can't play football with an impaled foot!"

I didn't think he would catch onto what I had said very quickly, so I turned once more to leave. I heard a roar from behind me and ran. So he wasn't as stupid as I had previously thought.

I heard Bill's thunderous footsteps behind me. Even with an injured foot, he was faster than me. My only hope was to get to the car.

After around three steps, I realized that running with one foot injured, and the other ensnared in a stiletto was much easier said than done.

Nevertheless, I bit back the tears that sprang to my eyes and kept going.

I put anger into each step that I took.

Anger towards my school for only having one chaperone for a dance.

Anger towards my parents for never being there except to yell at me.

Anger towards myself for being a socially crippled idiot who couldn't stay out of a fight to save her life.

I skip-hobbled my way out of the school and across the back parking lot and had almost made it to my car when I realized something was wrong. Yes, somehow, something was more wrong than a psycho chasing me across a parking lot wielding a shoe. My jacket was gone. I had left it hanging in the school. I put everything in there! And here, everything means my car keys!

I groaned at the realization and began to hopelessly pull at the handle of my silver sedan. I hadn't expected it to work so by the time Bill's gang caught up to me I was resigned to whatever fate they brought upon me. The familiar feeling of defeat washed over me as I was grabbed hold of and my arms were shoved behind my back.

"To the creek!" I heard someone yell.

I laughed bitterly. Our school was out in the middle of nowhere. Five miles from the nearest anything. And the creek? The creek was a roaring river gorge that lay an easy five-minute walk from the back of our school. An easy five-minute walk, that is, if you have the proper use of both feet and are not wearing one stiletto. Two of Bill's cronies half walked half dragged me to the "creek" while a small crowd laughed and talked as if they were headed off to an evening picnic.

I rolled my eyes once again. They had somehow snuck alcohol into the dance. The two buffoons dragging me reeked of the stuff.

I feeling of dread crept into my bones as we drew near to the creek. This rowdy group of high school kids would have no recollection of any of this when they woke up the next morning.

The last rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon, along with any hope I had of getting away. Bill was a bully, sure, but I had potentially ended his football career, and he was livid. The group stopped at the edge of the river and I was forced to lean out over the roaring water. It filled my ears, and Bill might have said something, but I couldn't hear. Someone knocked me over the head and as I felt my vision go, I was dropped and I fell into nothingness.


	2. new roads, hobbit holes

**Disclaimer. I don't own the hobbit or any of its characters.**

Chapter 2

My stomach twisted as I became aware that I was still falling. I couldn't see the river below me, and when I turned my head upwards, I could not see the bank. Or the sky. Or the stars.

All that was left was a gray mist that hung in the dark until displaced by my falling body.

I was certain that I must be dead. The fall to the river was no jump in a puddle, but it was not this much of a distance.

Had I been falling for an eternity or for a split second?

If I was dead, then why was my stomach still doing somersaults?

My frenzy of confused thoughts was interrupted by a voice that seemed to surround me and echo off of the mist. Usually, when I heard a voice in my head it was just me, telling myself to run, or shut up, or not tell someone three times my size to go jump off a cliff.

This time was different.

As I fell, the mist began to settle and my stomach ceased its churning. It was as if every pore of my body knew that this was important, and not to ignore the words that were spoken. The voice was neither male nor female, young nor old and, in fact the only thing I could sense in it was truth. A powerful truth that washed over me and made me shiver. These were its words to me.

My child,

You know what is to come,

So careful how you use your tongue,

Lest you should leave the company,

And deaths occur that should not be.

It was a riddle! A ridiculous riddle! What the heck was a dying girl falling down for eternity supposed to do with that? What could it possibly mean?

My confusion did not have much time to linger, for at that moment, finally, I hit the water. It was warmer than I had expected, and not as angered as the river near school. For indeed this was a different river altogether. I looked around sputtering. The steep slopes of the ravine were gone and had been replaced by grassy banks and brightly leaved trees. The sun had nearly finished its descent behind the gently rising hills to the west. Its deep comforting light lent a cozy atmosphere to the surrounding area. I allowed myself to catch my bearings before beginning the swim to shore. I quickly found that the current was stronger than I had anticipated and I doubt I would have made it to shore had i not caught hold of a willow branch hanging in my way. I pulled myself to shore and shrugged the leather bag off of my shoulders.

It was only then that I noticed the mark on my palm. It was as if someone had branded a rune onto me. I realized that I must have been clutching my pendant as I fell. The pendant was the only piece of jewelry that I wore and I hadn't taken it offs once since its arrival. Unlike everything else in my expensive and impersonal house, the pendant was old and had an air of mystery to it that mesmerized me. As mysterious as the pendant was, the circumstances under which it had arrived were even more out of place. I had received a package in the mail less than a week ago from an address that, when looked up, did not exist.

The mark that the pendant had left on my palm didn't cause me too much pain, but my ankle throbbed, and my head pounded.

So I wasn't dead after all. If I was dead then I was a spirit, and spirits didn't feel pain.

I groaned as I felt the bump on my head. Whatever I had been hit with would leave quite a mark. My hand made its way down to my ankle and examined it in the failing light. It was bruised blue and was probably sprained, but I did not think it to be broken. I would know, for I had broken bones at more than one point in my life. This pain was nothing compared to what the others had been.

My attention then turned to my other foot. It was still strapped into that cursed stiletto. High heeled shoes had cost me more trouble than they were worth, and as I tugged at the straps, I swore never to wear high heeled shoes again. The thing finally released my foot, and I took great relish in throwing it into the river. I decided that I could not remain on the exposed river bank overnight so I pulled my "emergency" blue converse out of my backpack and slipped them on. It was slow and painful work that left me with a bloody lip, which I had bitten ferociously in protest of the pain from my ankle. Thank goodness they weren't high tops! I wished, for the second time that night, that I had not left my jacket in the gym and slowly got to my feet. I could already tell that I wouldn't be able to run, and that walking would be a painful task.

I picked my backpack off the ground and slung it over my back before making my way up the bank and onto a well-trodden path.

Good. I had a better chance of finding civilization on a path. Maybe I was in a hiking park or something. I could think of no other reason for the path to be made of dirt. I turned west and took a deep breath. "Home is now behind you." I proclaimed to the breezy summer night. "The world is ahead." I set out upon my way with the words of Gandalf the wizard still hanging in the air. The going was slow but steady and as I walked I began to think. It had been awhile since I had last seen the hobbit films. I planned to watch it when I got back home. Wherever that was.

I had been walking the wooded trail for fifteen maybe twenty minutes when I saw lights in the distance. As I crested the next hill, voices began to drift towards me. Merry laughter that drew closer as I walked towards the light.

"Almost there." I panted aloud. Just one more hill to go. I went to tuck my hair behind my ears, a nervous habit that I had used since I was a small child and stopped mid tuck.

My ears!

I put both hands up to feel them.

They were bigger and thicker than before! I had no clue as to how this had happened. Just one more thing to add to my list of strange occurrences from that evening.

I began my ascent of the gentle rise and had decided to stop for a rest when I saw it.

Even at night, Hobbiton was unmistakable. The warm glow from the windows illuminated the round doors that characterized hobbit holes. It was beautiful and breathtakingly real. The pain in my ankle was forgotten and replaced by a shiver up my spine. Suddenly I became very aware of the pendant hanging around my neck. Could it be that it had brought me to middle earth? After all, I had been clutching it when I fell. When I was whisked away from Bill, and his gang, and my unresponsive parents, and everything that I called my life.

The thought made me weak at the knees and I was forced to sit down. By now, the dress I was wearing was so dirty that I didn't mind making it more so. I gazed upon a place that I had seen so many times. The films had captured only a fraction of Hobbiton's beauty and size.

I was so enraptured by the sight before my eyes, that I didn't hear the footsteps behind me until it was too late. I heard the unmistakable sound of steel being drawn behind me. I stiffened as the point of a sword brushed the hair at the nape of my neck.

And then came a voice. The deep voice that followed the sword could only be described the rumble of far-off thunder before a storm.

It was a voice that I knew well.

"Who are you, that wanders these paths after dark," said Thorin Oakenshield. When no reply, save for my shocked silence followed, he spoke again.

"Speak." A command. I gulped. I stopped myself from blurting out the words " _you're alive!"_ and instead croaked out an altogether more safe reply.

"I'm Esther." My name. Really? I was in the presence of one of my greatest heroes, and what I said was " _I'm Esther."_

"A maiden?" Thorin asked in surprise. "I was expecting a thief or troublemaker. You should not be away from home at this late hour."

At this, my independence complex kicked in. I didn't care who he was, I had every right to be out at this hour!

"What does my being a girl, er, a maiden, have to do with anything. I may walk the country as I please!" I stood to look him in the eye.

If The dwarf king was at all fazed by my outburst, he gave no sign of it. He remained stoic and quiet. I expected nothing else, but nonetheless I was impressed. Usually at about this point in an argument, I would get punched or shoved.

After a time, he spoke again. "You are familiar with these parts?"

"Yes," I said, in a somewhat quieter tone.

"Then would you mind directing me to the residence of one Bilbo Baggins?"

I gasped!

"What is it?" He asked tiredly. As if he had grown impatient with my unruly demeanor.

"It is nothing," I replied hastily. It was certainly not nothing! This was that fateful night when the dwarves would turn up on Bilbo's porch and the adventure would begin!

"I can take you there," I said in my most meek voice. I wanted to see the place with my own eyes.

"Good." Said Thorin. "For I am late as it is, and there is much to be done before the sun rises."

Now I had to be careful. I was not supposed to know what would transpire that night, so I summoned a questioning tone to my voice and asked. "What sort of business is it?"

"That is no concern of yours. Lead the way if you please."

"Of course. It's this way." I pointed over the road into Hobbiton.

"So I would expect" Thorin answered tersely.

And with that, I picked up my backpack and walked down the road. Thorin followed behind me and said no more.

Though it was still noticeable, I had been able to control my limp, so we kept a fair pace. As we were nearing the first hobbit hole, I began to puzzle other the riddle from the mist.

My child,

You know what is to come,

So careful how you use your tongue,

Lest you should leave the company,

And deaths occur that should not be.

Then it hit me.

The first line was easy. The middle earth films were my favorite. They took me away from my life and made me feel like there was good in the world. I knew them by heart, and I most certainly knew what was to come in this story.

As for the rest?

It was advice. Advice, and a dire warning. I should not reveal that I knew more than I was letting on, or I would leave the company, and death would follow.

But whose deaths?

Then a collage of images sprang unbidden to my mind. Fili lying dead on Ravenhill. Kili stabbed right through with a lance. And Thorin, the dwarf whom I was even now leading, lying on the ice gasping for air.

All three dead.

So this was why I had come.

One who knew what would happen and could save the three dwarves.

One who could save the principal line of Durin from extinction.

We stopped in front of a hobbit hole. A yellow hobbit hole that most definitely did not Belong to Bilbo Baggins. I had taken the road to what would become Sam's home after the lord of the rings. Realizing my mistake, I turned to Thorin and said, "We've made a wrong turn, we need to go back."

Thorin's response was just a question. "Are we lost?"

I quickly told him that yes, we were lost, but I knew where I had gone wrong and was correcting our route.

Ten minutes later, Thorin and I were trudging our way up a hill that was home to many holes. Thorin was looking behind to make sure that he had no followers, and I was frantically searching ahead for a door that looked remotely green. Though it was slow going in the dark, the lights shining from windows illuminated the holes, and I finally found it! Or at least I thought I had.

"This way," I told Thorin, and he wordlessly followed. Upon arrival at the porch, however, it was clear to see that this wasn't the hole we were looking for.

Thorin finally broke the silence. "Don't tell me we're lost again."

"I...uh…I mean uh-"

"Oh criminy." sighed Thorin. "Do you know the way or not?"

I paused and had just decided to tell him the truth when I heard it. Off a ways up the hill, faint but audible, came a voice.

" _Blunt the knives bend the forks"_

And I knew which way we were going.

"It's this way. I can see it from here. I will not lead you false again."

"I should hope not" was all the petulant dwarf said.

I silently thanked Kili for being such a loud singer. For it was he that had uttered the first line of that famous song.

" _Chip the glasses and crack the plates. That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

I followed the song up the hill until the hole came into sight and Thorin spoke.

"This must be it. He said there would be a rune on the door." He turned dismissively to the door and said, "Your help is noted, miss."

He was ordering me to leave! I couldn't save his life and the lives of his nephews if I was stuck in Hobbiton!

I couldn't say anything about his future, but I had to tell him that I knew of his quest. If I did not, all hope for him would be lost.

The song was nearly ended and I could not think what to say. I had to grab his attention, so I decided to go with something off hand.

"Goodnight, and good luck reclaiming Erebor," I said before turning to walk away, hoping that he would stop me.

It worked!

"Wait," he said. " How came you by this knowledge? What else do you know of my plans?"

His voice was raised, and I could tell that he was apprehensive. I mentally congratulated myself as I turned around. I told him the truth. Well, part of the truth.

"When one cares much about the mountain and the dwarves who seek to take it back, they are willing to go to great lengths to find out what they can. As for your plans, I know everything there is to know." I took a deep breath. The next words I spoke would be crucial. "I have had dealings with many of the creatures that walk this earth. I could help the company in their interactions-" Thorin cut me off. "Do you wish to accompany us?"

"I do."

"You would not walk far on that leg, let alone fight on it." he mused.

I smiled. At least in this, I could persuade him. "When I said I knew of your plans, I meant it. You and your company placed an order for fifteen ponies with a nearby inn. You intend to ride for the mountain."

I knew no such thing of course, but it was as likely a guess as any.

Thorin seemed to think for a moment. "Do you know anything of languages?"

"I know some," I replied. Did I know Tolkien's languages? No. Did I memorize every word of elvish or dwarvish dialogue from the films? Yes. Yes, I did.

And after all, it would be the only thing I needed to boot myself in the door to this adventure. Official translator sounded like a fine title to me.

Thorin seemed to think for a while before speaking. The singing had stopped by the time he reached a conclusion.

"Our journey is likely to take us some miles north of Rivendell. If you have not proved your worth to this company by then, you shall remain behind with the elves. Assuming, that is, that you can stand to be near them."

I was perfectly happy to take that as a yes!

Then without another word, he turned and knocked on the door. I stepped back into the shadows preferring to watch. For I knew only too well what would happen next.

And then the door opened.

 **I would love to know what you guys think of the story so far. Constructive criticism is always welcome!**


	3. places to stay in good company

**Chapter 3**

"Gandalf." Thorin acknowledged as the door swung back to reveal the wizard. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice."

I had to cover my mouth from shock. I had gotten Thorin lost twice! It was me! And it was in the film!

What I said and did in this place would have an effect on the story. Just how great an effect? I could not say. I was brought away from my thoughts by the closing of the door.

I could hear Gandalf's muffled voice from within, explaining to Bilbo about the mark he had placed on the door.

From where I stood on the porch, I could clearly see the mark. It glowed faintly silver in the moonlight and I was still marveling at it when a thought came to me.

I was supposed to be standing on the other side of the door.

I had let them close the door on me and I had barely noticed. I could try knocking, but that would bring too much attention to me. Attention was definitely something I wanted to avoid.

Why?

Because when you receive little attention, then no one asks you tricky questions like where you are from, what your last name is, and how you know so much about their most secret plans.

I decided that the best thing to do was to try the knob. I moved noiselessly to the door and pressed my ear to it. It would not do to come marching in while they were still standing there.

The door was thick but I could still hear through it plainly. The words "he looks more like a grocer than a burglar," were followed by laughter from the thirteen dwarves assembled within. Now was my chance!

I turned the knob, and it gave way! I carefully slipped inside before the door had much time to open, and was just congratulating myself on a job well done, when I heard a voice from behind me.

The inviting tone and Irish-esque inflection left me in no doubt as to who was talking.

"And who might you be?" Bofur asked.

"Bofur!" I announced, turning to face him.

My hand flew to my mouth. I wasn't supposed to know that!

The poem's warning echoed inside my head. I was to be careful how I used my tongue, and so far, I was off to a bad start.

This had been my first slip up, but it would not be my last. Nor would it be my worst.

"You're not Bofur, he is," argued a slightly confused Bombur. "Yes, I know, that's why I said...you know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything. Ummm…" I trailed off and stood there in embarrassed silence while everyone in the room stared at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that even Fili and Kili had followed their uncle back out of Bilbo's little dining room. You see I had failed to realize a key concept.

This was real life, and real life did not cut to the next scene when the dialogue came to an end. It would be a year at least before we reached our journey's end.

"Oh yes," said Thorin, clearly in a hurry to get the introductions over with,

"this is Esther. She will be traveling with us as a translator."

At this, Balin spoke. "For how long Thorin?" He seemed apprehensive.

Thorin eyed me meaningfully as he answered. "How long she will travel with this company remains to be seen, but for now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. I suggest we retire to the dining room for further discussion."

There was a general murmur of agreement from the dwarves, and they slowly began to file into the dining room and arranged themselves around the table.

I felt myself relax ever so slightly.

The initial awkwardness was over and now I just had to avoid further embarrassment.

From behind me, I heard someone clear their throat.

"Excuse me," said Bilbo, "but would you like to change? I mean you're soaking wet, and uh, there's already quite enough mud trod into this carpet as it is. Been in the family for years you know, and it would be a shame to lose it now."

I wasn't quite sure how to answer.

After all, Bilbo was a bachelor who lived alone. I did not think he would have much in the way of clothing for a maiden such as I.

I told him this in as polite a tone as I could.

"I'm sure some of my mother's things would fit you." He insisted. "Here can show you to her old room."

I hesitated, but finally whispered "thank you" and followed him down a hallway to the left of the entry way.

When we had gone just far enough for me to be sure I was lost, Bilbo stopped and pointed to yet another hallway branching out deeper into the hill. "It's just through there. First door on the right. You'll find everything you need in the wardrobe."

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," I said distractedly.

Bilbo was supposed to be listening to the conversation that the dwarves were having.

"There's no need to call me that. Bilbo will do." he paused, turned to leave, and then turned back to me. "I don't suppose you know how long they're going to stay?" he asked.

This time, I was more careful in volunteering information. I merely reiterated what Thorin had said in the entry way.

"They have pressing matters to attend to. They will be at it late into the night."

"And you?" asked Bilbo.

"I'm going to make sure that they don't lose anything too valuable" I said slowly.

I had meant their lives.

I would sit, and listen, and plot. And with no small amount of luck and a great deal of courage, I might be able to do more than I had ever dreamed possible.

Bilbo, of course, didn't understand what I had said, and I wasn't about to enlighten him.

"Right. Well, I had better get back. Hopefully, nothing's broken or bashed in." as he retreated back down the hallway, I heard him muttering something about scrubbing his carpet. I had to suppress a giggle, he was quite a comic little fellow.

The smile died on my lips as I remembered how that was all about to change.

I turned down the side corridor and came to the first door on the right. I reached for the knob and was not surprised when the door opened without a creak.

Even in rooms that were never used, tender care was given to make them clean and well kept. Or so I guessed.

I couldn't see the interior of the room, so I naturally began to grope around for a light switch. After hunting in vain for several seconds I realized the obvious.

There were no light switches at Bag End, or anywhere else in middle earth for that matter.

I would have to learn to do without a great number of things from now on.

My phone I could go without. The only people who called me were my parent's angry secretaries or occasionally librarians who wanted their books back.

I stepped back out into the hallway and looked for a source of light.

Aha!

An oil lamp, of course!

I crossed to the other side of the hall and pulled the lamp down from its sconce on the wall. It wasn't heavy so I carried it back into the bedroom.

Its glow illuminated a cozy bedroom with a four poster bed and a vanity table. Though Bilbo's mother had surely been dead for years the vanity was lined with brushes, hair pins, embroidered silk handkerchiefs,

and a small dagger in a leather sheath of all things.

I marveled at it all before setting down the lamp, and crossing to the wardrobe. I opened it without a creak. The clothes within it were, like everything else in the house, well kept and spotless.

The interior was full with the type of gowns you would expect a hobbit lady to wear. Brightly colored in greens and yellows and sky blues.

They were charming to be sure, but none of them screamed cross country hike. I scrolled through them looking for one that was more sturdy than the rest. I looked at the floor of the wardrobe and saw a chest. I wondered what could have been inside it.

At first, I was hesitant to open it because, after all, Bilbo had given me his hospitality and I didn't want to intrude upon it. However after a moment of staring at it, curiosity got the better of me and I unlatched the lid and pulled it up. I coughed as dust rose from the chest.

 _That's odd._

I said to myself. Unlike everything else in the house, the chest was covered, inside and out, with a thick layer of dust. It was clear that who ever cleaned this room had avoided the chest like the plague. The chest was, like the closet, full of clothing. But these garments could not have been more different from the bright dresses hanging above it. I lifted them one by one out of the trunk, marveling at them. For they were as un-hobbit-like as it was possible to be. Richly colored tunics in hunter green, and burgundy, and deep blue as the night sky. They were tailored for a hobbit woman, but not by one. The collars and necklines were woven with gems or gold thread,that glinted off the light from my oil lamp. Even after years of disuse, they were still soft as silk to the touch. They were each accompanied by a pair of similarly embellished trousers that would fit more like leggings on me.

I knew instantly why they had been neglected and put away from sight. Bilbo's mother, Belladonna Took, had come from a family like no other in the shire. The Tooks were more prone to unexpected behavior, and every once in awhile one would disappear, and return with wild tales of adventures, and dangers, and the outside world. It was for this reason that they were often frowned upon by the neighbors.

I knew that the comfortable and well respected Bilbo Baggins would want nothing to do with that sort of thing. Not yet at least.

I came at last to the bottom of the chest and noticed that there was only one thing left inside. A wine-red cloak and hood. I lifted it out of the chest to inspect it. It was, like the tunics, sturdy yet soft to the touch.

I slung it around my shoulders and fastened the simple silver clasp.

I stood and crossed to the mirror over the vanity. I had to smile at my reflection. I looked completely ridiculous in my dirty dress that was still soaked through. My hair was a tangled mess and my poor attempt at makeup had been smeared down my face. Add that to the dark mascara smudges under my eyes, and I looked more like a raccoon than a dwarf-saving heroine.

As I pondered the task set to me in the mirror, my eyes were drawn to my ears. I remembered feeling the difference on the road, and sure enough, my ears were bigger. Rounder too!

Odder still, was the fact that they didn't look absurd. The size change may even have improved them. I tried to think back on the films. Hobbits and elves had pointed ears. Wizards and humans had the ears of a person back from home.

My eyes widened as I realized what was left.

Dwarves.

Dwarves had ears that were both thicker and rounder than any other on middle earth.

For whatever reason, the one who had sent me to middle earth had thought it was a good idea to turn me into a dwarf.

I panicked and threw my hand to my face. I felt around but encountered no facial hair. When I felt none, I sighed with relief. I loved dwarves, but female facial hair was a deal breaker.

I decided that the dwarves must have been conversing for a while and that I should get back to them soon.

I heard footsteps in the hallway, and quickly crossed to the door and locked it, before realizing that the footsteps must have belonged to Bilbo.

I quickly selected a tunic and some trousers from the floor where I had laid them out and changed. I had lingered for far too long in Belladonna's bedroom. I quickly tamed my hair with a brush from the vanity and used the cleanest corner of my wet dress to wipe away the smeared makeup.

At last, I was warm and dry, and just in time too, because, at that moment, a knock came at the door.

 **Next chapter coming soon. The company will finally be off!**


	4. A song in the dark

_**Chapter 4**_

 **Disclaimer: ****I did not write the extended song of the lonely mountain. It is an excerpt from the book and I do not own it.**

I picked up the discarded dress and stashed it behind the four poster bed. Bilbo would have a heart attack if he saw it just lying on his clean floor.

"One moment!" I called and quickly looked for a place to put the remaining three outfits. My gaze landed on my backpack, and I grabbed it. As I stuffed the tunics and pairs of trousers into the backpack, I heard voices.

"That must be the lasses room. Try the one next to it, brother."

It was Balin.

" _He and Dwalin must be looking for a room."_ I thought to myself.

Were they already turning in for the night?

If so, I had spent far longer in the hobbit lady's chambers than I thought.

Another knock came at the door before I heard Dwalin's voice from farther down the hall.

"That rooms been taken. Try across the hall."

"Fair enough." replied the new voice from the other side of the door. It was Kili, no, Fili.

Both! I amended, as I heard Kili's voice.

"Who's taken it? We passed no one on the way down the hall," he said.

"It's that lass Thorin brought with him." replied Balin.

"Oh," said Kili. "Do you know who she is Balin?"he asked.

"No lad, he made no mention of a fifteenth member." mused Balin.

"Well, it's fourteen now, isn't it?" Dwalin cut in. "That hobbit turned us down without the bat of an eye. He won't be coming, mark my word."

It was at this moment that I finished packing, and decided to intervene on the hobbit's behalf.

I stood, crossed to the door and opened it. As I stepped out into the hall, I cleared my throat and spoke.

"Don't be so quick to judge Bilbo. I believe that he'll come with us on this quest. In fact, I'm willing to bet it." A silence filled the hall, as the four dwarves stared at me, and I opened my mouth to speak again but was cut off by a voice behind me.

"How much?" It asked.

I turned to see Gloin, hands on hips, eyebrows raised.

"What?" I asked, completely confused.

"How much do you wager Mr. Baggins will accompany us on the 'venture?"

I stuttered for a moment, once again all eyes were on me. I don't think they understood that I had merely been using a figure of speech. Then Gandalf's voice swam into my thoughts.

" _They took wagers on whether or not you would turn up."_

So this too was my doing. I knew that Bilbo would come running out of Bag End late the next morning, and after all, I was completely penniless, or coinless, or whatever means of money they used. What could be the harm in a little gambling? Well, if you could even call it that considering that I knew the outcome in advance.

"I don't know," I finally said. "What do you think?" I asked Gloin.

"Ten silver pieces," he declared.

"Agreed," I answered decisively.

"If Mr. Baggins has not joined the company by tomorrow evening, I will pay you what you are owed."

"I'm inclined to agree with the lass on this one." said Oin, who had joined his brother in the hallway, and overheard the talking.

"Afterall," he continued, the lad did say he was an expert. I'm in."

"All Right brother, tis your loss." chuckled Gloin.

"Anyone else want to wager?" he asked.

And then there was a bit of an uproar as Gloin brought out a piece of parchment and a quill.

He began to record the names of the dwarves and what side they took.

Oin and I had bet that we would indeed be traveling to Erebor with Mr. Baggins, But Balin and Dwalin had bet that he would not come. Gloin had no doubt that we would be traveling without a burglar. When he asked Kili what he would wager, the young dwarf seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

"The poor little fellow passed out at the mention of fire. I don't think so." Kili cracked a smile and continued, "if I had his pantry I don't think I'd be going either."

At this Fili chuckled, but they were both silenced by Balin's stern voice. "Your youth brings forth rash words from your mouth! Had you looked upon Erebor, had you seen the great halls of your ancestors, then you would not speak as you do. The both of you will be in for quite a surprise when you lay your eyes upon that kingdom. You will not wish for the pantry of a hobbit then."

Kili looked at the ground and then nodded his head to show that he understood.

"So that'll be a no then?" asked Gloin, bringing our attentions back to the wager.

Kili just nodded his head, and Gloin scribbled something on his parchment and then turned to Fili. The dwarf prince did the last thing I expected him to do. He turned to look at me. His piercing blue eyes studied me with such intensity, that for a moment I was sure he could see right through my deception. He appeared to frown before turning to Gloin.

"He will come," Fili said slowly.

"I must say I'm surprised. Your brother's shown more common sense than you on this matter, but if you're sure."

Gloin shook his head and scribbled something else on his piece of parchment.

"Alright that's enough," said Dwalin.

"My brother is right, we've been away too long, and Thorin will be wanting us back to the sitting room. Come on, drop your bags in your rooms and let's get back." agreed Balin.

That explained why they were back here at least.

Fili and Kili opened the door to the room directly across the hall from me, and Dwalin and Balin headed for the room to the right of me. Oin and Gloin took the room next to Fili and Kili's.

I turned back to my room and went inside. I plunked down on the bed and just sat there, staring at the wall.

I was in shock.

I was in middle earth.

I was surrounded by people who I had watched for years. People who I had idolized. People who I may or may not have found rather attractive. People who had shown bravery in the face of evil.

People who I had cried for and mourned until there was not a tear left in my body. Because even before I had come face to face with them, they were more real than the people at home. They had helped me to grow in ways that my parents had never done. They had taught me more than eleven years of teachers combined. And most importantly, when I had been all alone with no friend to turn to, they had been there.

And three of them had less than one year left.

I shuddered.

For the first time, I had something to lose.

And somehow that was more frightening than the fists of any opponent.

I felt my eyes begin to water.

Great! Just great. An obviously blotchy face was the last thing I needed at the moment. Just as I started to hope for a distraction, I heard footsteps and looked up to see Oin and Gloin, pipes in hands, heading back down the hall. Shortly after, Balin and Dwalin followed, conversing in low tones. I only caught a snatch of what the said. "And anyway, Thorin wouldn't want to. Why would we turn to those who would forsake us in our hour of need."

I knew they must be talking about elves, and I wanted to hear more, so I followed them down the hall and around a corner.

They must have known I was eavesdropping because they switched to speaking in khuzdul. I was just cursing my bad luck when I realized that I could understand every word they spoke. They were speaking of Rivendell and their distrust for the elves. I rolled my eyes. Dwarves held a deep-seated distrust towards elves, and I had to remember that I was now a dwarf too. I had to act as if I hated them just as much as the rest of the company did.

Well, almost all of the company. I had to smile when I thought of Tauriel and Kili.

Falling in love against the wishes of their races.

" _Almost like Romeo and Juliet!"_

Romeo and Juliet! The book I had been reading at the dance. The book that was most decidedly not from middle earth.

The book that was still in my backpack. That book, if it was found, could destroy any trust the dwarves had for me. It could cause the poems warning to come to fruition.

My place among the company was fragile and Thorin could very easily tell me to leave, and in doing so sentence himself and his nephews to certain death.

I resolved to burn the book after everyone went to bed.  
After all, I didn't fancy having to explain what the strange runes in the book were. For even the common tongue of middle earth bore little resemblance to English when on paper.

By the time I had formulated a plan, we had reached the sitting room.

The sitting room was barely recognizable as the place I had passed through earlier that evening. The only light in the room was that cast by the fire in the hearth, and a couple of candles in sconces about the room. The smoke from the dwarves pipes drifted up to hover about the ceiling, giving the room an air of mystery. The dwarves too had changed, for the laughter in their faces was gone and their faces became shrouded in the darkness illuminated only by the flickering of the flames. My ankle had begun to hurt again, so I occupied an arm chair next to the fire. Fili, whom I hadn't even heard following us, came to stand behind my chair while his brother took up a spot next to Bifur.

I knew what was about to happen next, but a shiver still ran up my spine when the dwarves began to hum. And then Thorin's deep voice filled the room. As I listened, I was reminded once more of how real life didn't move from scene to scene. For the song that I heard that night was far longer and far more haunting than what I had seen before. The dwarves song went as follows:

 _Far over the misty mountains cold_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_

 _We must away ere break of day_

 _To seek the pale enchanted gold._

 _The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_

 _While hammers fell like ringing bells_

 _In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

 _In hollow halls beneath the fells._

 _For ancient king and elvish lord_

 _There many a gleaming golden hoard_

 _They shaped and wrought, and light they caught_

 _To hide in gems on hilt of sword._

 _On silver necklaces they strung_

 _The flowering stars, on crowns they hung_

 _The dragon-fire, in twisted wire_

 _They meshed the light of moon and sun._

 _Far over the misty mountains cold_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_

 _We must away, ere break of day,_

 _To claim our long-forgotten gold._

 _Goblets they carved there for themselves_

 _And harps of gold; where no man delves_

 _There lay they long, and many a song_

 _Was sung unheard by men or elves._

 _The pines were roaring on the height,_

 _The winds were moaning in the night._

 _The fire was red, it flaming spread;_

 _The trees like torches blazed with light._

 _The bells were ringing in the dale_

 _And men they looked up with faces pale;_

 _The dragon's ire more fierce than fire_

 _Laid low their towers and houses frail._

 _The mountain smoked beneath the moon;_

 _The dwarves they heard the tramp of doom._

 _They fled their hall to dying fall_

 _Beneath his feet, beneath the moon._

 _Far over the misty mountains grim_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns dim_

 _We must away, ere break of day,_

 _To win our harps and gold from him!_

 _Far over the misty mountains cold_

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old_

 _We must away, ere break of day,_

 _To find our long-forgotten gold._

Once their song had concluded, the dwarves continued to hum,

As one by one, they got up and took their leave.

There was a finality, and a sense of duty to the entire affair, that made me, with my frizzy hair and blue converse shoes, feel completely out of my depth.

When only Thorin, Fili, and Kili were left in the room, the humming ceased.

"Go now, get some rest. We rise at dawn, and I don't intend to linger here," ordered Thorin, clearly addressing his nephews.

"And as for you, I meant what I said. We don't have the leisure of taking on dead weight. If you cannot prove your worth to this company then I will send you back here. Tis of no great loss to me."

I bowed my head, submitting, as always to the more powerful force.

Thorin looked me up and down for a moment before leaving the room, and I saw one other figure follow him. I sat and thought on what he had said. all of a sudden I felt shaken. What if I couldn't prove myself to him. I could not make it to Erebor alone.

" _No matter, there's nothing you can do about it tonight, just go to bed, and try to get some rest"_ I told myself.

So I took a deep breath and got to my feet.

The pain was sudden and unexpected! It lanced through my ankle and up into my leg. I gasped audibly and fell to the ground.

Well I would have fallen to the ground, if someone had not caught me first.

One of Fili's arms was around my waist, and the other at my right elbow.

For one insane moment, I thought he was going to punch me in the gut because, well, that's what usually happened when someone was this close to me.

I tensed, but the jarring pain never came, and before I knew it, I was being set gently back on my feet.

"I saw you limping earlier on but I did not expect it to be this serious. Do you think you could put weight on it?" he asked.

"I, um, yes I'll be fine. Let go now." I gasped at the pain still echoing through my leg.

"No. You can't walk by yourself."

I glared at him, shoved his arm out of my way, and promptly fell to the ground.

Groaning in frustration, I tried to stand.

Fili helped me to my feet once more, and this time, I knew better than to shove him away.

"Look." I scoffed. "I don't want your help." I wasn't completely sure if that was true, but I never had help at home, and I wasn't about to ask for it. Not now.

"I don't care if you want my help or not," Fili said coldly. "You cannot walk by yourself, and if you don't rest it, then you'll not be able to take the trek tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? We're using ponies." I retorted.

"Maybe so, but where do you think we're going to get them?"

I stared blankly at him for a moment before tucking my hair behind my ear and nodded.

We didn't talk the whole way back to our rooms, but I was left baffled at my own actions. If Bag End was so cold at night, then why did the tips of my ears feel so hot?

I realized that I must have been embarrassed. After all, I had just fallen on my face in front of a dwarf prince. Then I remembered that he had bet with me earlier in the hall, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

When we finally came to stand outside my door, I reached for the handle but Fili stopped my hand.

"Stay here, I've got this," he said.

And that was just about the last thing I could handle.

I was trying to be angry at him for helping me, but when he said that, I was done for.

Because it was not the first time I had heard him say those words. The last time I heard him say that, I had been sitting on my bed with a bowl of popcorn watching him tell Kili to search the lower levels of Ravenhill. It was the last thing he had said before going to his death.

Around three seconds after realizing this, silent tears began rolling down my face.

Fili opened the door and I found, to my horror, that I had left the oil lamp burning. The room was fully lit, and my face, that was now red and covered in tears, was completely visible.

"Are you-" Fili started, but I cut him off.

"I'm fine. It's just my ankle."

 _And the thought of your impending death._

This part I did not say aloud.

"It will get better if you take some weight off of it." he said, a little less coldly than before.

I just nodded. Not trusting my voice to hold.

Fili crossed to my oil lamp and dimmed it until it was almost out. He turned, nodded to me, and left closing the door behind him. I wiped my face and rolled my ankle, wincing at the pain. I couldn't walk out to the fire place tonight. I would have to wait until the next morning to dispose of my beloved book.

I sniffed, wiping my face again, before standing with the bedpost to support me. I pulled down the covers and then collapsed back into bed.

I thought about the wild events of that day. I thought about meeting all of the dwarves. I thought about the journey to come.

I thought about Fili catching me when I fell, and lying there in bed, I tucked my hair behind my ears again.

Why did he make me nervous? He hadn't tried to punch me or anything of that sort.

It was with these thoughts, that I drifted off to sleep.

That night I had the first dream.

 _I knew I was dreaming._

 _The forest around me was too bright, too sunny._

 _This place was beautiful._

 _The tall trees were adorned with leaves in bright shades of green._

 _I could see just enough color peeking out through the branches to tell me that autumn was not long hence._

 _I could hear the happy voices and bustling noises of a town or a city just beyond the trees._

 _It was perfect._

 _I looked down at myself, happily wondering what I was wearing._

 _I was dressed in a bright green gown that complemented the leaves on the trees._

 _I felt at peace._

 _But all along in the back of my mind, something weighed me down._

 _It was the same sensation that I had felt when I was falling and had heard the voice in the mist._

 _The instinct to pay close attention to what would follow._

 _I waited expectant, and was just about to give up hope of anything happening when a figure came crashing through the trees to my left._

 _She was a child of some eight or nine years, and she was wearing a gown of a similar shade to mine._

 _Though the gowns were of a similar color, that is where the resemblance stopped._

 _Her's was a thin material that floated around her as she ran. You could tell that it was of fine make, but she didn't seem to care about that. It was smudged with mud and dirt and she had ripped it at the hemline and on one of the sleeves._

 _She looked gorgeous in it nonetheless._

 _Her hair was red as the rising sun, and when she stopped running to look back into the woods from whence she came,_

 _Her green eyes shone with the light of a thousand stars._

 _She was panting hard, but she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled_

" _Philip I'm over here! What in Durin's name is taking you so long?"_

 _Then a boy's voice answered her from somewhere in the woods._

" _Not all of us can run as fast as a bloody elf, Kahli!"_

 _The girl, Kahli, just let out a breathless laugh and grinned at the woods in the direction of the voice._

 _My brow creased in concentration._

 _I had never seen that girl in my life, but for some reason, her reckless, joyful, smile seemed all too familiar._

 _The scene began to fade around me._

 _I heard the noise of steel on steel and vaguely wondered what could be causing it._

I felt myself waking up.

I wondered why I could still hear the clanging sound.

It got louder and louder until I realized that it hadn't been part of the dream at all.

I opened my eyes drowsily, expecting to see my alarm clock and my bedside table. What I saw instead was the wall and the door to Belladonna Took's bedroom.

I grinned before realizing just how annoying the clanging sound had become. I pushed the covers off and stretched. My ankle was stiff and sore, but I dare say I could handle it.

The clanging hadn't gotten any quieter, so I decided to go and see what all the fuss was about. I looked for my shoes momentarily before realizing that I was still wearing them. My blue converses were hardly a match for the rich tunic I was wearing, but hobbits didn't wear shoes, so these would have to do.

I stepped out into the hall, stretching as I did so. The door to the room across from mine was open, and Fili and Kili's packs were sitting ready to go on the floor. I took this as a sign that they hadn't left. For once I hadn't overslept.

By this time, the clanging noise was reaching a crescendo.

I followed it down the hall until I got to the intersection between my hallway and the bigger main hallway.

I don't even know why I was surprised. The noise, of course, was being made by Fili and Kili.

They were having an intense sparring match in the middle of the hallway. I mentally thanked every higher power on middle earth that Bilbo was not there to witness the sword fight going on in his hallway.

Kili noticed me standing there first, and without stopping the match, he yelled "Thorin says we're leaving in three minutes! I'd hurry if I were you!"

"Five minutes! We have to leave in five minutes and your sword fighting in the hallway?"

Kili ducked a blow from one of Fili's twin swords and shouted, "What else are we supposed to do with five minutes?"

I turned away and, laughing, headed back to my room. I was glad I had packed the night before.

When I got to Belladonna's room, I put on the red cloak and fastened it. In the new clothing, I definitely looked the part of a traveler. I ran the brush from the vanity over my hair before sticking it into my leather backpack.

I turned and was just about to leave the room when I remembered something.

The dagger.

I picked it up almost reverently from the vanity. There was no reason not to take it. After all, if it remained here it would only end up being auctioned off in a year's time.

I buckled the small belt that held its sheath in place to my waist, and then extinguished the oil lamp.

One last look at the room, and I was off. Fili and Kili came back for their bags and the three of us headed back to the entry way.

"Alright, that's everyone." proclaimed Thorin when he noticed us arrive at the entryway. "Let's be off!"

There was a general cheer from the dwarves, and then we began to file out of the hobbit hole. I was last to leave, and right before I stepped out the door, I recalled a quote from the lord of the rings:"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

And with that, I stepped out onto the road and took the first step on a journey that would change the course of my life forever.

 **Thanks for reading! Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Who could the girl from the dream be?**

 **Next chapter coming soon.**


	5. At The Green Dragon

**Chapter 5**

The morning was clear and sunny, and in the light, I saw Hobbiton come to life. As we descended the hill and crossed into the market we passed hobbit children running playfully after each other with not a care in the world.

We must have seen more than a two dozen hobbits with pipes. I was overcome by their rustic way of life, and I remember at one point having to be dragged away from a flower stand by Bofur, who had looked back and seen me fall behind.

As we walked, the dwarves who hadn't been present in the hallway the night before were prompted by Gloin to take their own wagers on whether Bilbo would show up. All but Bofur bet that he would not.

Well, andGandalf.

The wizard did not hesitate in believing that Bilbo would join us, despite what the other dwarves said. It was in this manner of betting and joking that we passed through the market, and made our way to the Green Dragon.

I repeat. The actual real as could be Green Dragon.

"Balin, take Bombur. Go in and order provisions. Dwalin, you and Bofur will come with me to get the ponies. As for the rest of you, Fili's in charge until I get back. You can wait inside the tavern, but no drinks. We need to be well away from here by tonight, and I don't need anyone drunk to boot." Thorin's orders were clear and concise, and no one, even the ale-loving dwarves, would dare oppose his wishes.

This may have been true, but as unengaged dwarves and I entered the Green Dragon I saw them throwing furtive and wistful glance towards the bar. I too looked over to the bar and was surprised to see that not just hobbits, but grown men frequented this tavern. We found a group of unoccupied tables and sat down to wait. I was glad of the chance to take some of the pressure off of my ankle. I examined it and saw that the flesh was purple and bruised. The blasted thing had been stiff all morning and now it was starting to ache.

While I was concentrating on my ankle Kili said something and the entire table erupted in laughter. I looked up to see him across the table from me laughing harder than anyone else.

I didn't know what he had said, but he looked so happy.

I smiled. Not a happy smile, but one of regret.

I mentally chided myself.

His fate was not sealed. I could still change it. I could save him.

Then an awful, dreadful, terrible thought crept into my head. I had gotten Thorin lost twice, and started the betting on Bilbo. I had seen those things happen in the film.

I had already changed things. My actions had affected the story that I knew so well.

Which could mean only one thing;

The film I had seen was the way it was because of my actions. Even though I did not know it at the time I saw the film.

The events of Ravenhill would occur! They were already fixed in time.

The realization that I could do nothing brought a wave of nausea over me.

My head spinning, I stood and quietly excused myself. I doubt anyone saw me slip away, and out the door. I stumbled into the light of Hobbiton.

I had to think.

Had to clear my head.

I walked past the Green Dragon, and into the small alley between it and the next building.

Why was I even here? If I couldn't do anything, then why was I here?

This hurt. Why? Because now I couldn't press stop and rewind to happier times. Once they were gone, they were gone.

There must be something I was miss-

"Well, well, well. What is a pretty little thing like you doing back here all by yourself?" drawled the figure coming closer and closer to me. He was huge. He was a man and a muscular nasty one at that. Slinking up behind him, was the ugliest hobbit I had laid eyes upon that day. They were both repulsive.

They were also getting closer to me with every second.

So, naturally, I did the worst thing that I possibly could have done. I aggravated him.

"I don't know. I'd ask your friend there, but let's be honest, have you seen him lately? Ya, I know it's rude to insult someone straight to their face, but hey at least HE can take it!"

The man growled and pulled a serrated steak knife out of his belt. I fell into my routine. Stoop my shoulders, submit. That knife would probably leave a scar but at least the principal would have to call my paren- hang on a second!

I wasn't at home! They could do whatever the heck they wanted to, and no one was going to stop them!

I squeezed my eyes shut readying myself for certain death.

I heard hurried footsteps coming towards me from the direction of the Green Dragon and my eyes snapped open.

I looked up to see the man and his unsavory little weasel of a companion running, literally, for the hills. I jerked my head around to see what had frightened them and saw Fili walking towards me, calmly sheathing one of his twin swords. When he saw that my attention was on him, he spoke.

"Why are you out here? That man was only a farmhand, but he could have hurt you!"

"I,uh-" I tried to speak but he cut me off.

"And why didn't you fight back? You didn't even draw that dagger. Were you just going to let him attack you?" he was angry, and more than a little bit baffled.

I didn't have to answer, for the look on my face spoke all too clearly.

"That's the second time I've seen you do that." he said.

"Do what?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"Not fight back. Surrender."

"When was the first?"I queried.

"Last night after the song. Thorin might as well have called you dead weight, and you just sat there. Didn't even try to defend yourself."

There was a pause and then he asked me a question. "Why?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"I'd pegged you as a fighter. I thought someone who would come all the way to Hobbiton on an injured foot, and then defend the honor a hobbit she just met in front of a hallway full of strangers, I thought you would stand up for yourself."

My next words were choked, after all, I was still in shock from my near miss.

"I've never had to use a weapon before."

What Fili said next sent a shiver down my spine.

"Never had to, or never chose to?"

Again, I didn't have to speak to convey my answer to him.

A slight smile crossed his face.

"You know, I heard what you said to that idiot back there. You have two choices. Either learn to fight or stop running your mouth. You can't be outspoken and then unwilling to fight when your words come back to bite you."

I nodded. As I did so, something odd occurred to me.

"Fili?" I asked.

"What is it?"

"Why did you come after me?"

"Oh, it's nothing," he said after a moment. His tone of voice told me that it had not been nothing.

"No, really, I want to know." I asserted.

"If you must know, I was worried."

"About me?" why would Fili be worried about me?

"You looked anguished. Like something terrible had just happened," he said.

"It was just my ankle. It felt stiff, so I got up to go for a walk."

I could tell that he didn't think I was telling the truth. For the second time since I had met him, I got the feeling that he could see right through me. The feeling was unsettling, but part of me wished that I could tell somebody anybody.

I tried to veer the conversation away from my actions in the Green dragon.

"So, If you're out here with me, then who did you leave in charge?"

"Oh, Kili," he said with a slight grin, that was completely for his own benefit.

I was unable to help myself. I grinned too. "Then we should probably get back inside before chaos breaks loose."

"You're probably right." he laughed. But after a moment, his smile faltered. "How did you know Kili would be-" he started to ask, but was cut off.

"Fili, lass, we've got the ponies and we're leaving." yelled Dwalin in our general direction.

I was thankful for the intervention, for I knew what Fili had been about to ask. How had I known that Kili would be a bad replacement? How did I know that his younger brother could be reckless? The answer, of course, was that I shouldn't know. I was supposed to have known the two of them for less than a day.

I began to walk towards Dwalin in the hopes that Fili would let the matter drop. We had reached the ponies and begun to get them ready to leave, when Fili, whose pony was next to mine, told me something in a hushed tone that no one else could hear.

"When I was a child, I broke my ankle. Kili and I were climbing a tree near our home, and I fell."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because over the next few weeks, the blasted thing was always stiff or causing me pain, and the last thing I wanted to do was go for walks."

With that, he climbed onto his pony and they trotted over to where Thorin and Gandalf were conversing.

I cursed under my breath.

He had known I wasn't being truthful about my motives for leaving the tavern.

What else had he guessed?

I took a deep breath and mounted my pony.

Well, tried to mount my pony.

I stuck my right foot, the injured foot into the stirrup. I had lifted myself off the ground before it buckled in pain.

I fell backwards onto the ground, and I was winded and left gasping for air. My pony, Minty, was leaning over me sniffing my hair in concern. The tickling sensation of it on my face made me laugh.

I was incredibly ticklish, but this was the first time I could remember laughing, and meaning it. I rubbed her muzzle with both hands before attempting to sit back up. My head spun, so I lay back down on the ground. My head hit a rock.

"Ow." I laughed because of course there was absolutely nothing funny about hitting my head but at the same time, I didn't think I had ever been this happy.

I was in the shire!

And I had been shown more kindness from complete strangers than I had in years from people at home, who I had know for years.

So why not laugh?

I looked up at the sky and kept on laughing.

Now that I think back on it, I was probably having a nervous breakdown, but even so, I hadn't laughed like that since I could remember. So I kept on laughing.

"What's going on down there? Did I miss something?" I looked up to see that the speaker had been Kili.

A broad grin covered his face.

"I hit my head on on a rock." I laughed.

Kili had just enough call, "Fee, didn't uncle say no drinking?" before beginning to laugh himself.

"I'm not drunk." I gasped out.

I looked up at the sky, the beautiful blue shire sky, and my laughter turned to a contented smile. I had decided that I should probably get back up, when I saw Kili, who had ridden over, dismount. He held his hand out to me and I took it. He helped me up before getting back on his horse. I was much more careful when I got on mine. Minty was easy to ride, and the gentle gait of her walk was calming. As we moved out Thorin told Bofur to take the rear guard, and we left the Green Dragon behind.

We took our last glances of Hobbiton and entered the forest.

 _Good,_ I thought to myself. At least Bilbo would be joining us soon.

To this day, I wish that I could have had one more good look at Hobbiton. I have not been back to that part of the world since the day I left with the company.

As we rode, I looked off into the forest, losing myself in the beauty around me. I was jolted from my thoughts by Fili, who had dropped back to ride next to me.

"What was that all about?" he asked me.

"What was all what about?" I asked.

"I think you know." he replied.

"Oh, back at the Green Dragon? I don't know."

"You must have been in shock. He was pretty big." Fili said. He thought I was in shock from my encounter in the alley.

"No," I said truthfully. "When it happens a lot you get used to it."

He glanced over at me, a surprised look on his face.

"How often-?"

"It doesn't matter." I cut him off.

We rode in silence for a moment before he asked another question.

"Is that how your ankle-" for the second time, I cut him off.

"Yes," I said quietly. I wanted to drop the matter. For the first time, I didn't want to think about getting into fights.

"What good does enraging them do if you won't even fight back? why do you do it?"he asked.

I actually had to think about it for a moment before coming up with an answer.

A true answer.

"Because it means someone's listening," I said. An unexpected tear escaped my eye, and I turned away to look once more into the woods.

"Keep going." Fili's voice said.

"What? You want to hear more of that?" I said.

"I'm listening." he answered.


	6. The world is ahead

**This chapter took awhile due to surgery recovery.** **Sorry** **it's been so long.**

 **Chapter 6**

Before I could answer Fili, I heard the voice I had been waiting for all morning.

"Wait! Wait!" yelled the hobbit.

"Finally," I sighed in relief.

I reigned in Minty, and felt her slow to a halt beneath me.

I turned my head to see Bilbo running towards us, waving the contract above his head. He reached us, and came to stand in front of Thorin.

"I signed it!" He proclaimed, turning to Balin, who took the contract from him. I was riding behind him and could not see over his shoulder, but I knew that he had taken out a pair of eyeglasses and inspected it.

Turning back to Bilbo, Balin affirmed that everything appeared to be in order. "Welcome Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Balin finished.

This statement was greeted with cheer and geniality.

I looked up to Thorin for reaction but found none.

"Give him a pony," Thorin ordered.

I chuckled as Bilbo protested this statement vigorously. "No, no, no, that won't be necessary, thank you. I, I'm sure I can keep up on foot. You know I've done my fair share of uh, walking holidays, you know, even got as far as Frog Morten once. Wooow!"

I laughed out loud as I watched, Fili and Kili, who had ridden out in front of me, grab Bilbo by his shoulders, and haul him onto a pony.

We rode in silence for a couple of moments before Oin broke the silence. "Well it's not yet nightfall, but as the lad's here, so come on Nori pay up!"

Nori tossed a sack full of coins to Oin, and then I yelled, "Gloin pay us what you owe!"

Fili dropped back to ride next to me.

"Us?" he asked.

"You bet that he would turn up. Did you not?" I replied.

"I did. How did you know he would turn up?" he asked.

"I didn't know. I just had a little more faith in the courage of hobbits than most of you did." I said defensively.

After that, we rode in silence. I felt sorry for what I had said to Fili. Of course, he didn't have as much faith in Bilbo as I did. He hadn't seen what I had. He didn't know what I knew of Bilbo's deeds. He didn't know because next to all of them had yet to occur.

For the first time, I really started to question why he had bet with me.

He himself had said that he knew not whether the hobbit would come. So why had he been willing to wager ten coins that he would come?

I remembered yelling out Bofur's name in the entryway the night before, but that was a small slip up. I doubt any of them even remembered it by now, and besides, that was not enough to tip anyone off that I knew more than I was letting on.

I cautiously looked over to him and was disconcerted to see that he was deep in thought. This could mean absolutely nothing, or it could mean...well I didn't know what it could mean, but I decided that I was going to have to be extra vigilant.

I couldn't have him guessing that I was any more than just another member of the company. Just as I had resolved to be more careful, Bilbo's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Wait! Stop. Stop! We have to turn around."

"What on earth is the matter?" Gandalf asked him.

"I forgot my handkerchief." the hobbit replied.

"Here," said Bofur. "Use this!" and he ripped a piece off of his tunic and tossed it back to Bilbo.

At this much of the company, myself included, laughed.

Bilbo just seemed so disgusted at the thought of wiping his nose on a piece of clothing that Bofur had been wearing for who knows how long.

"Move on!" Thorin ordered, and our little train of ponies was once more set in motion. As we rode towards the edge of the trees, I heard Gandalf talking to Bilbo. As he spoke, I mouthed the words along with him.

"You'll have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs and a good many other things Bilbo Baggins before we reach our journey's end. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the shire. But home is now behind you, the world is ahead."

That was one of my absolute favorite quotes from the movie, so naturally I had memorized it.

Now I felt that the adventure had truly begun, and I was confident that somehow I would be able to accomplish the task set before me. I was also confident that I could do it without another information slip up.

Looking back on it now, I can see that I was a real knucklehead.

Here I was, riding along, confident that I could make it to Erebor without revealing anything when I had unknowingly made my biggest mistake yet.

For as I had been mouthing the words that Gandalf was speaking, I had been completely oblivious.

I failed to notice Fili, who was still riding beside me, staring confused as I did what should have been impossible.

The wizard spoke, and I somehow knew what he was going to say.

See what I mean? Complete. Idiot.

The situation was made worse by the fact that he was already suspicious of my actions inside the tavern.

The company spent the days that followed falling into a steady rhythm of riding by day, and making camp by night.

At dusk on our first day, we had ridden past the village of Bree.

It was Dori that voiced the question on everyone's minds.

"Why are we going around the village? Wouldn't it be simpler just to get rooms at the inn?"

Even from my position half way down the column, I could see a meaningful look pass between Gandalf and Thorin.

Thorin's voice, though not raised, resonated over the company. "A night in the village would draw unwanted attention. It is best, for now at least, that our quest remains private."

Here, Thorin glared at me, and I lowered my face, already feeling a blush spreading across my face.

I cautiously looked around, relieved to see that no one was staring at me. They were all looking at Thorin, who had continued speaking. I began to listen just in time to hear Thorin say,

"We push on another hour into the woods. When it's light we can find the main road again."

Wait. What? Was he off his rocker? We couldn't leave the road. In my experience, it was never a good idea to abandon the road. Especially at night. I mean anyone could jump us from behind. What if there were black riders in the woods?

"Don't be silly," I told myself. "They won't ride through these parts for another sixty years."

"Who won't?"

I turned startled to see Fili looking at me. We hadn't talked throughout the day, so it came as a bit of a surprise to me when he spoke. I also realized for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, that I was an idiot. I had reassured myself out loud for all to hear. Not that anybody seemed to be paying attention.

Bombur and Bofur had started a conversation about the different qualities of fall ales, and most of the others had joined in to give their opinions.

"Who won't?" Fili repeated. "And what did you mean by them not in riding these parts for sixty years.

"Oh," I stammered. "I was just talking to myself. I didn't mean anything by it."

"But you still said it. You act like you know what is to come. You face the uncertain like it's already happened."

"What do you mean?" I asked completely confused, and more than a little apprehensive.

"The wager?" he asked.

"I already told you, I have faith in him."

"You mouthed what Gandalf told the hobbit this morning," he said triumphantly. As if he had just won an argument.

I gulped thinking quickly. "I, uh, copied him. I found what he said to Bilbo to be very moving, and I wanted to remember it. Nothing's going on Fili." here my voice took on an accusatory tone. "It's almost as if you think that I somehow know what's going to happen." I laughed in the hope that the idea would seem completely preposterous."

But Fili just frowned.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, you don't seriously believe that do you?"

He sighed. "No, I don't believe that you can see the future." to himself, he added, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Look, I'm sorry. You got me," I said sarcastically. "I can see the future and I can predict exactly how this quest will end."

He sighed in exasperation and looked over at me.

"I'll prove it," I said. "I predict that within a year we will have won back Erebor."

"You don't say." he answered.

"Yes, and Bombur will be king under the mountain."

I was surprised when he chuckled. I had meant to be sarcastic, not amusing.

"Now that is something I'd like to see," Fili said. "Any more predictions?" he asked.

I thought for a moment and came up with three predictions. Two of which were false, and one of which sounded too preposterous to be true.

"Yes," I said. "Thorin's going to start a goblin appreciation club, Dwalin's going to take up knitting, and Kili's going to fall madly in love with an elf."

At this, he started to laugh. It was the first time I had ever made another person laugh. Other than laughing out of ridicule that is. I smiled. It was a good feeling.

"What?" I said feigning surprise.

"I just thought of Dwalin knitting," Fili said, still laughing.

I stopped to picture it and then burst out laughing myself.

"See, I told you that hobbit ale tasted funny. What's going on?" asked Kili, who had come up to ride between Fili and I.

"It's not the ale," I laughed.

"Then what is it? Fili?" Kili said, a smile spreading across his own face. I had always liked that about Kili. He seemed so good humored. I looked over to see Fili straighten his face, look over at his brother, and very matter-of-factly say,

"Picture Dwalin knitting a sweater."

At this, Kili burst out laughing which made me start laughing again which made Dwalin, who happened to be riding in front of me, turn around to throw a frosty glare in our direction.

As he turned back around, I heard him muttering something about bringing children along.

Kili dropped back to ride alongside Bofur, who momentarily had begun to laugh. Soon, most of the company had chuckled their way through thoughts of Dwalin's potential hobbies.

"Don't go telling Thorin about any of those predictions. He would split an ax head if you told him he'd start a goblin appreciation club. How did you come up with that one?" Fili said.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. What do you think of the third prediction?"

Fili turned back to look at his brother. "He's always been taller than me, even when we were children. Who knows?"

I laughed nervously. "Your joking, right?"

"You thought I was serious? Kili can be reckless, but he isn't stupid. Kili in love with an elf. That's ridiculous."

"We camp here!" Came Thorin's voice from the head of the column. We had reached a clearing, and we all began to dismount our ponies and the dwarves began to bustle around, preparing the camp, starting the fire. I looked back at Kili, who was unsaddling him ponie. No, Kili wasn't stupid. And though the thought of him falling in love with an elf seemed ridiculous, so did the thought of ending up here. So did the idea of saving Fili, Kili, and Thorin.

This whole quest was a ridiculous idea.

But I was becoming used to the stubbornness of dwarves. I knew one thing for sure about them. If they found something that they believed was worth fighting for, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, they would fight for it until their last breath.

Maybe I was becoming a dwarf, because, for the first time, that didn't sound so bad.

I lay awake that night with thoughts of knitting dwarves, and not giving up. Tomorrow would be a new day. Tomorrow I would plan. Tomorrow I would fight.

It was with these thoughts, that I drifted off to sleep.

That night, I had the second dream.


	7. On the road

**Chapter 7**

 _The dream seemed to pick up where it had left off the previous night._

 _The same sunny forest._

 _The same odd feeling of truth behind what I was seeing._

 _The red-headed child, Kahli, stood panting, still trying to catch her breath._

 _She didn't have to wait long for her companion to reach the clearing._

 _Philip came pelting through the underbrush in much the same way that Kahli had._

 _Like the girl, I had the strangest inclination to believe that I knew him._

 _He appeared to be around the age of fifteen, and very good looking, with blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes, that I knew I had seen before. Though he was tall as I was, so he could only be a dwarf._

 _He was as well dressed as Kahli, but seemed to pay more attention to keeping his clothing clean and well kept._

 _When he came to halt beside his companion, she spoke._

" _Took you long enough. Stop to smell the flowers did we?" she playfully shoved him. He rolled his eyes and changed the subject._

" _She's late," he said. "Are you sure she said she would take the south way back?"_

" _Yes," said Kahli solemnly._

 _I wondered who they were talking about. This dream was already confusing enough without someone else to worry about._

 _I felt the ground shake beneath my feet and recognized the sound of hoofbeats. I moved quickly to stand with my back against a tree trunk._

 _I looked toward Kali and Philip to see her face lit up in a knowing triumph, and his face crease into worry._

" _See, what did I tell you? That'll be her now!" said Kahli._

" _We don't know that Kahli. Anyone could be on the horse. We need to get out of here right now!"_

" _Please," scoffed Kahli. "You're over reacting."_

 _But Philip didn't seem to be paying attention to her. He was looking around before his gaze finally came to rest on a tree behind them._

" _Kahli, can you climb that tree?" Philip asked hurriedly._

" _You're ridiculous. Also, are you trying to insult me?" Kahli asked incredulously._

" _I don't know, it looks pretty high to me." Philip teased._

 _I realized his motive. Poking at her pride was all that he needed to make her comply with his wishes.  
It was then that I decided Philip was a genius. This assertion was solidified in my mind when I saw Kahli swing herself up into the lower branches and disappear into the foliage. The only remaining indication of her presence was the occasional flash of her fiery red hair through the leaves._

" _Hey, knucklehead, aren't you coming?" Kahli hissed down at Philip._

" _No. I don't like heights and you know that very well," he answered. The hoofbeats grew louder and I could feel them vibrating through my body._

 _I began to worry for Philip's safety. If the approaching rider was friendly then he need not worry. But if the rider was unfriendly, Philip could find himself in some trouble._

 _Philip didn't seem overly phased. He was all composure as he drew a dagger from its sheath at his side._

 _The dagger!_

 _It was unmistakeable._

 _With its silver and ruby pommel and dark leather sheath._

 _It was the very same dagger that I had slung around my own waist!_

 _But how could he have it?_

 _Who were they both?_

 _Before I had time to wonder much else, a midnight black draft horse erupted from the forest!_

 _Seeing Philip, it reared up on its hind legs. Its full height was frightening and I could feel my heart pound at both its beauty and its strength._

 _It snorted and shook its main, before sinking back onto all fours._

 _Before I could make out its rider, I started awake!_

I have never been a morning person. I would just like to make that perfectly understood. Even if I were the most amiable person in the world, I would still be unreasonably grouchy in the earlier hours of the day.

And so, when my shoulder was shaken for the second time, I grabbed the small pillow from under my head and unceremoniously whacked it in the general direction of the person trying to wake me up.

My pillow hit a tree instead of a dwarf, proving just how bad my aim was.

Before I could reposition it behind my head, it was snatched away from me, and promptly thumped against the side of my head.

"Ow!" I exclaimed.

"That didn't hurt!" exclaimed Kili.

For it had been he trying to wake me up.

"It did so." I answered, sitting up.

"I wasn't even trying." he said.

I wished he would wipe that silly grin off of his face. He clearly found the situation enormously funny.

I glared at him, before extracting myself from my bedroll, and rolling it up. I snatched the pillow away from Kili and was just about to belt it to the bedroll when Kili said, "oh, and you missed breakfast."

At this, I stood, turned to face him, and clouted him over the head with the pillow.

"That hurt!" he said indignantly.

"Really? I wasn't even trying." I said before turning around to fix my pillow to my bedroll.

"Oh, and you should saddle up. Thorin wants to leave soon." Kili declared, and then he proceeded to head in the direction of his own pony.

I finished securing my bedroll and pulled my backpack towards me. I didn't care if we were leaving in one minute or twenty, I was going to brush my hair. As of then, it was a mess of deep brown frizz that fell almost half way down my back. After tugging through it just enough to make it look presentable, I replaced the brush into my backpack and sighed.

As always, that was as good as it was going to get.

I sighed and stood up, wincing as my ankle took the impact of my weight.

I bit my lip hard and willed myself not to collapse onto the ground. I looked down helplessly at my backpack and bedroll. As light as they were, I wasn't sure I could lift them onto Minty's back. I decided that I should fetch and saddle her before addressing my other concerns. And I was about to do just that when I noticed Fili making his way towards me.

He was leading his own pony, Bungo, but I was surprised to see him leading mine as well.

She was saddled and seemed ready to depart.

When I noticed this, I felt simultaneously full of gratitude, and annoyance that Fili had thought I needed help.

"Thank you," I mumbled when he reached me and handed me Minty's reigns. "You didn't have to do that."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I thought you might have some trouble considering your bad ankle. Do you need help with your bedroll?"

I gulped. I wasn't used to accepting help from people but, I suppose, "yes please," I whispered.

I furiously tucked my hair behind my ear.

Why couldn't I stop doing that lately?

It was a nervous tick that I had been cursed with since I was a small child, but I thought I'd managed to lose it in middle school.

Why was it coming back now?

Around ten minutes and one awkward pony mounting later, the company of Thorin Oakenshield was on the move once again.

By the time the sun had fully risen, we were on the road again. It was a well-beaten path and so, for the first few hours, the going was easy. The dwarves conversed about various things over the course of the morning.

Some things such as the legend of Smaug (which was told by Balin purely for the benefit of Bilbo, myself, and a few of the younger dwarves) fascinated me immensely. I found myself asking questions and listening to the answers with wrapped attention.

Other topics, like the proceedings of dwarvish politics, I knew nothing about but found incredibly interesting. As with the stories, I asked question upon question, and by the time Thorin ordered lunch to be distributed, I had more than a fundamental understanding of the topic.

The only low point of the morning was when Balin, who could tell I knew little of dwarvish tradition, asked me where I was from.

The question caused my heart to pound and my head to race in circles but I managed to avoid blowing my cover by saying that it was very far away, and my parents didn't care at all about political proceedings.

This was, for the most part, true.

My parents only paid attention to politics when it affected their stocks, to them dwarvish politics wasn't worth a lick.

Bofur, who was in charge of lunch, tossed me a piece of hearty cheese and a small loaf of bread.

Balin, whom I had been riding with, urged his pony forwards. He engaged his brother in a conversation about the weather.

This I found no interest in, so I filtered their conversation out, letting it become background noise. I didn't mind riding by myself. It was something I was used to, and it gave me time to think about what I had heard.

I looked about and took a deep breath in through my nose. I let out a sigh. The countryside was breathtakingly beautiful. The sun shone down on the rolling hills and wild grasses surrounding us lending them a picturesque green iridescence. I absentmindedly bit into my cheese and was surprised to find that it was very good. I bit into my little loaf to find it equally tasty.

Though I did grimaced to think what the rations would taste like a month from now. I turned my mind to happier things. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Kili moving up to ride on my right side until he spoke.

"Dull, isn't it?" he remarked.

"What?" I started.

"All that talk of trade and official conduct." he said. "I don't think I could stand listening to that all day."

I raised my eyebrows. "A fine prince under the mountain you'll make." I told him sarcastically.

"I'm glad you think so," he said grinning.

On a more serious note, he said "besides, second in line usually inherits a military position. I'll be a general or something of that sort. I wouldn't mind thinking up battle tactics and border protection, but I've no interest in the finer points of metals trade." he said, laughing as he finished.

"I suppose it isn't for everyone," I said. "What does Fili think on the subject?"

Kili was about to answer when he was cut off.

"On which subject?"asked Fili, who was now riding to my left.

He had startled me. For the second time that day, I found my fingers reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. I could not seem to figure out why, but I sincerely hoped that Fili hadn't noticed.

"Oh, um, politics." I said ruefully. Back home I didn't care much for government. But the way a dwarven kingdom was run seemed so far out of the ordinary way that, like everything else in middle earth, I found myself falling in love with it.

"Since I was very young Thorin has been teaching me how to run a kingdom. It's taxing work, but after so long, I don't mind it much at all. I suppose you find it boring and distasteful." Fili finished.

"And, why do suppose that?" I said indignantly.

"Most dwarf maidens don't concern themselves with affairs of state." he informed me.

"Oh, so I'm most dwarf maidens?" I retorted without really thinking. I blushed not quite knowing what he would say in response.

"No, I'm fairly sure I've never met a maiden quite like you." he smiled.

My blush deepened, and for the third time that day, I found myself reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear.

I managed to brush the comment to the side with a question, deciding that I would have time to figure out what he had meant later.

We talked for the better part of the afternoon.

Agreeing on some topics and disagreeing on others. I was inexperienced in dwarvish ways, and he had to correct me when I suggested a course of action that was outside of their traditions.

On these subjects, Kili and I tended to agree more. Unlike Fili, Kili was more likely to hang tradition and do what he wanted.

It was Kili who turned the conversation turned towards traditions of marriage, and I was shocked by the fact that before a couple could be married, the dwarf had to build his lady a dwelling. Not find her pleasant place to spend her days, no, he had to physically make her a home. He could have help from close relatives but still.

"That's ridiculous!" I said.

"I agree." said Kili matter of factly. "When I marry," he continued "We can live in a cave or up in a tree for all I care. I don't see the use in carving a home out of stone."

"And that," Fili cut in, "is why you are not getting married anytime in the near future."

Fili and I laughed.

Kili just shrugged because he had been completely serious.

By the time Thorin called a halt, I had decided that this had been the most enjoyable day I had experienced in so long.

A small part of me felt satisfied in a way that I had not been in years. I had found conversation, companionship, and maybe even friendship.

I spent the days that followed in a similar manner. Slowly beginning to settle into the steady rhythm of the road. The terrain turned wild, and with each passing day, we saw fewer farms and dwellings.

But there was always that weight at the back of my mind. The knowledge that as we grew closer to our goal my time would begin to run short.

On our fifth night on the road, I was drifting off to sleep in my bedroll, when I heard Fili and Kili talking while on night watch.

"I'm worried." I heard Kili tell his brother.

"Worried? Worried about what?" Fili queried.

"Ammâd" Kili said quietly.

"We left her in the care of the most loyal dwarves in the Blue Mountains. We need not fear for her safety, nor for the saftey of ou-"

Kili cut his brother off in mid-sentence, "Fili if one of us doesn't make it back, it would break her heart."

There was an even longer pause before Fili answered his brother.

"Then we'll just have to make sure we both get back."

I turned over quietly and saw Kili nod solemnly.

After that, a heavy silence fell over the camp.

It was on that night that I realized that these weren't just characters. They were people. And unless I could do something about it, the were going to die. The light would leave their eyes, the smiles would die on their lips, and they would be gone forever. Part of me couldn't deal with that, and I remember very clearly, that on that night I cried myself to sleep.

And I very quietly, very sincerely tried to hope for the better.

 **Thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews! I hope to hear more of what you think as we get further into the story.**


	8. An Aria of fire

Disclaimer:I (sadly)don't own the song lyrics seen in this chapter.

Author's note: in this chapter as well as the last one, I've been trying to convey all the traveling that the company goes through. Next chapter, we will be seeing more recognizable movie scenes...yay!

 **Chapter 8 an aria of fire**

We had been on the road for twelve days and eleven nights before we camped anywhere near running water.

For the first few days of travel, I had been glad of the excuse not to shower. My thick hair took about half an hour and what seemed like a quarter of a shampoo bottle to wash. But after nearly two weeks of sweat, grime, and pony hair collecting all over me, I would have done anything for a nice hot shower.

On that night, I got the next best thing.

Thorin ordered us to halt in a hollow that was around 20 feet away from the laziest slowest moving river I had ever seen.

I swung myself off of my pony and hopped to the ground. I winced at the pain in my ankle but smiled to find that it was better than it had been this morning. I had only a slightly affected limp and was now sure that I could attend to Minty on my own.

Fili wasn't as sure.

He claimed that for the good of the company, I had to heal as fast as possible. And healing apparently included not unsaddling and tying up my own pony.

So I settled for removing my bedroll and backpack from her saddle and setting them on the ground. Before too much of a time had passed, Fili had finished attending to his pony and came over to assist me.

"Uh, Fili?" I said as he began to take Minty's saddle off of her.

"Yes," he replied.

"You don't have to do that anymore," I said sheepishly.

He looked at me for a moment but did not answer. I was about to repeat my request for him to stop when he finished unbuckling the saddle and swung it over Minty's back. Without hesitation, he held the saddle out to me and I took it.

This was a horrible decision on my part.

The saddle was hefty and the extra weight sent a jarring pain through my ankle. I winced and let go of the saddle before I could think of what I was doing. Fili, who had not yet quite let go, was able to catch it before it fell.

"You knew that was going to happen!" I said indignantly.

"Yes," was all he said in reply.

"You could've just told me you know," I snapped.

"Would you have listened to me?" he asked.

I blushed.

"Maybe," I said defensively.

Fili raised his eyebrows as if to ask if to ask if I seriously believed that.

"Okay, so I probably would've insisted on doing it myself anyway." I conceded.

I glared at him before continuing. After all, had to do something to conceal the blush still spreading across my cheeks.

"I'll tie her up though. I can walk." I looked around realizing that all of the other ponies and most of the dwarves were missing from the clearing.

"Where?" I had started to ask when Fili cut me off.

"They're in the thicket to the right," he said.

"Okay then, let's go girl," I began to lead Minty forward towards the thicket.

"Esther?" Fili called from behind me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your other right," he grinned.

I blushed and had to surreptitiously raise both hands, before coming to the conclusion that I had, in fact, been leading Minty to the left.

I had nearly reached the edge of the clearing when I suddenly remembered something.

"Fili?" I called over my shoulder. "If anybody asks where I am, tell them I'll be back in half an hour."

"Why? Where are you going?" he asked.

"A walk," I answered simply before quitting the clearing.

To say that I walked was a gross understatement. I practically skipped my way down to the river.

After securing Minty to a tree near the other ponies I had scoured the river bank for nearly ten minutes before finding a suitable place to wash. I decided to bathe with my clothes on, given that they were in as much a need of washing as I was.

Before entering the water, I set out a new tunic from my backpack with the matching pair of trousers. They would be warm to the touch by the time I was clean.

I removed my red cape and slid into the water.

It was cool and wonderfully refreshing. I didn't have any soap with me, but I scrubbed at the roots of my hair for ages in an attempt to clean it.

In time, the remnants of dirt disappeared from my fingernails, my hair was clean, and the only complaint I had was that my wet clothing now clung to my body and was making me feel ice cold.

I had just decided that I had better get back to camp when I heard my name being called.

Shoot!

I momentarily panicked before remembering that I was fully clothed.

I pulled myself out of the water and clasped my red cape around my soaking wet clothes. I had just enough time stuff my warm clothes back into my backpack before I was found.

"There you are!" said Kili. "We were beginning to worry about you, you've been gone nearly an hour."

"An hour?!" I nearly yelled.

I looked for the sun but found that, along with my thoughts, I had lost track of time in the river, for it was already gone behind the trees.

The forest lay blanketed in a mist brought on by twilight.

"Did anyone notice I was gone?"

"Oh, yes. Thorin seemed pretty angry with you last I saw him. Fili asked to look for you but Thorin sent me instead. Oh, and before I forget, you've got first watch the next three days as punishment." as we walked back towards camp, Kili informed me of just how angry Thorin had been when he left.

I didn't pay attention. I was to caught up in the fact that Fili had wanted to com look for me. I felt an inexplicable disappointment that it had been Kili and not Fili who had found me.

By the time we reached camp, dinner was coming to an end, and a few of the older dwarves had begun a low song. It told of the finding of the Lonely Mountain and the building of Erebor. As I listened, I stared into the fire.

I watched the flames dance, and in the dusk, they seemed to take the shape of dragons blowing trees and all manner of enchantments.

Before I knew it, the singing fell to humming and then slowly to nothing.

The dwarves seemed to reach an unspoken agreement that it was time for bed.

* * *

On the night of my third watch, the dwarves sung once more, late into the night.

They seemed to drift to the corners of the campsite. Warm as it was, few desired the heat offered by our fire.

Remembering that I had first watch that evening, I stood and tore my eyes away from the flames.

I crept to the spot where I had left my bedroll at the edge of camp and was just turning to head for the rock ledge where the watch was to be posted when I heard voices.

My curiosity got the better of me, and in very little time I found myself crouching in the underbrush just beyond the voices.

"Gone for almost an hour two evenings back, to who knows where. And Kili said he found her by the river. She could have been doing anything. I will not have this quest compromised by the actions of that girl." This voice could only belong to Thorin.

"With all due respect uncle, I do not believe her to be a spy uncle," This was Fili.

"We don't know the slightest thing about her. I came upon her outside of Hobbiton and she practically blackmailed me into bringing her." Thorin whisper.

I felt a knot forming in my throat. I didn't want Fili knowing about that. Not when I couldn't explain.

"I thought something was different at first as well. And I agree that she is hiding something from us, but does that have to mean she wishes us harm? If you had such miscomings, then why did you allow her to accompany us?" Fili asked. Was he sticking up for me?

At any rate, he knew I was concealing something.

"You will be king someday Fili, and one of the most important things you will learn is the guarding of our people's secrets. I could not let her spread word of our quest about the countryside. That is why she accompanies us."

Great.

Now I was a spy.

As if.

I heard Thorin's last words to Fili before slipping back into camp.

"Take second watch. Start early. I don't want her slipping away again."

"Yes uncle," came Fili's reply.

* * *

Being on watch was miserable.

I was far away from the fire, sitting on an ice cold stone ledge, in clothing that was still soaked through from my dip in the river.

And because I could not sleep, I was forced to endure the sounds of snoring dwarves. Among the worst were Bombur, Ori, and (though no one would dare to mention it) Thorin.

I sat on that ledge for what felt like hours, my mind sifting through droves of information that I had yet to process.

Thorin thought I was a spy.

That was only to be expected. I would have pegged myself as a spy if I were in his shoes.

Thorin thought I was a spy and Fili had defended me.

Fili.

The more I got to know the dwarf prince, the more he puzzled me.

He was good natured, and the times I had found myself in trouble, Fili always seemed to be there.

Even on that first night in bag end when I had tripped by the fireplace.

He was an utter mystery, and try as I might, it was a long time before I could explain away his good character.

I decided that Fili was a gentleman.

Gentle dwarf?

Ah well, whatever the proper phrase was, it fit him perfectly.

I came to the conclusion that he was extremely polite, and had the best interests of the company at heart.

After this, I tried to steer my mind in the direction of other, less complicated, topics.

I can't say that I failed in this respect, but a small thought in the back of my head remained fixed on him.

Later into the night, I began to softly hum the melody of a song that the dwarves had been singing. I wished to sing along with them earlier but had encountered two problems. The first of which being that my voice did not sink nearly as low as any of theirs did. My second problem was that I just didn't know the words.

The first I could do nothing about, but the second I could fix.

If I didn't know their words then I would sing my own.

I quickly swept my gaze over the sleeping dwarves making sure that none could hear me.

Then, just for good measure, I turned my back to them.

And I began to sing softly.

The song was one about the quest, only it was ever so slightly different. It was a song from my world. No one here would recognise it.

" _Oh, misty eye of the mountain below_

 _Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls"_

Here, I paused. I didn't often sing even when I was by myself so I was hesitant to continue. But the lyrics swept me away, and my voice may even have grown in volume. The next lines came easily from memory.

Only now, they came from my heart as well.

" _And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke,_

 _Keep watching over Durin's sons"_

(I began to tap my hand against the rock, to the rhythm of a guitar that wasn't there.)

" _If this is to end in fire_

 _Then we should all burn together_

 _Watch the flames climb high into the night_

 _Calling out father oh_

 _Stand by and we will_

 _Watch the flames burn auburn on_

 _The mountain side"_

(Shivers went down my spine at the thought of a burning fire on the mountain side.)

" _And if we should die tonight_

 _Then we should all die together_

 _Raise a glass of wine for the last time_

(At these lyrics, a tear rolled down my cheek. I kept singing.)

 _Calling out father oh_

 _Prepare as we will_

 _Watch the flames burn auburn on_

 _The mountain side_

 _Desolation comes upon the sky_

 _Now I see fire_

 _Inside the mountain_

 _I see fire_

 _Burning the trees_

 _And I see fire_

 _Hollowing souls_

 _I see fire_

 _Blood in the breeze_

 _And I hope that you remember me"_

(And I hope that you remember me? At this, I could only think of Ravenhill. More tears escaped my eyes.)

" _Oh, should my people fall_

 _Then surely I'll do the same_

 _Confined in mountain halls_

 _We got too close to the flame_

 _Calling out father oh_

 _Hold fast and we will_

 _Watch the flames burn auburn on_

 _The mountain side_

 _Desolation comes upon the sky_

 _Now I see fire_

 _Inside the mountain_

 _I see fire_

 _Burning the trees_

 _I see fire_

 _Hollowing souls_

 _I see fire_

 _Blood in the breeze_

 _And I hope that you remember me"_

(I paused and gulped hard before singing the last verse. I knew that my voice gained power in the last verse and I was surprised at the determination in my own voice.)

" _And if the night is burning_

 _I will cover my eyes_

 _For if the dark returns_

 _Then my brothers will die_

 _And as the sky is falling down_

 _It crashed into this lonely town_

 _And with that shadow upon the ground_

 _I hear my people screaming out_

 _Now I see fire_

 _Inside the mountains_

 _I see fire_

 _Burning the trees_

 _I see fire_

 _Hollowing souls_

 _I see fire_

 _Blood in the breeze_

 _I see fire ,oh you know I saw a city burning out_

 _And I see fire, feel the heat upon my skin,_

 _And I see fire fire_

 _And I see fire burn auburn on the mountain side."_

And as I finished, everything was quiet . It didn't occur to me that I had been sitting on watch for quite some time. I had completely forgotten Thorin's order for Fili to start second watch early.

So, naturally, I nearly fell off of the ledge in surprise when he quietly joined me on watch.

"That was unbelievable," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore," I mumbled.

"What? No. Someone has to have told you by now." he said.

"Told me what?" I asked stupidly.

"Your voice is captivating. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it."

"I don't sing in front of other people. Not on purpose anyway."

"I can't imagine why. That was-"

"Please, stop," I said. All of a sudden, I remembered why I didn't sing very often.

"It's a long story. I just don't sing." I said, hoping he would understand.

"Well, considering that we're on night guard for another hour, I could use a long story." he told me in a tone that suggested an actual interest.

I searched for a way to describe it in a manner that he would understand. I wasn't used to confiding in people, so when I finally spoke, it was somewhat disjointed.

Fili listened patiently while I told the story.

"Before my parents business took off- hang on, let me start over. I guess it started when I was really young."

I told him about how poor my parents were before their business became successful. About how, when I had been born, the only things in the world that they cared about, were hard work, and their little family. Then came success, and they cared less and less about their family. My mother's care for me extended only as far as my wardrobe, and my father's only attentions came in the form of a new tablet or car.( I didn't tell Fili the part about the car.)

Fili wanted me to explain their business to him, so I stumbled through a middle earth appropriate explanation of what they did, before getting back to the story.

I told him of how my parents and I would sing together less and less, until one day, not at all.

"I think that was more a complicated story than a long one," Fili observed as I finished.

"I wish those things had not befallen you. I couldn't imagine family so cold. You have my most sincere apology."

"You haven't done anything wrong. Why would you apologize to me?" I asked.

"Because someone had to. And your parents didn't seem to be doing it." Fili said.

I only sat there and listened to him defend me to people he had never met in his life. See what I mean? I told myself. He's a gentleman.

Dwarf.

But there was that one small, inexplicable part of my mind, that hoped he wasn't just being kind. This little whisper in my head that hoped finally to have found a friend.

"Forgive me, but I'm still not sure why you can't stand to sing."

I took a deep breath and decided to tell him something that I had never told another person.

"It's because they named me for my voice," I said shakily.

"But Esther means-"Fili started.

In my nervousness, I cut him off. "Esther is my middle name. When we stopped singing together, I threatened to tell everyone my name was Esther. I think I was nine at the time, and it seemed like a pretty serious threat to me."

"And?" he asked.

"And they changed it for me. I haven't gone by my birth name since, and they don't even notice."

We sat in silence for a moment. I could sense him looking at me, but I just stared at the ground.

"What is your name?" he asked.

I sat a little straighter.

"Aria," I said, my voice no higher than a whisper.

Then, a little louder, "my name is Aria."


	9. A noise in the lowlands

**Chapter 9**

Over the course of the next seven days, we kept to our routine of traveling by day and camping by night. The riding grew monotonous at times, but the breathtaking wilderness through which we rode never ceased to amaze me.

I had been careful of late to stay with the group and not to stray away. I knew that Thorin had grown suspicious of me, and besides, I didn't want another three-night watch shift.

Fili had been obliged to ride at the front of the company with Thorin during that time. I assumed that Thorin was still in the process of teaching Fili all the intricacies of being king. Fili was, after all, the crowned prince and would inherit the throne once Thorin's reign had come to an end.

I _f they make it that far._

I hated that. At least twice a day, I would be lost in thought, or talking to one of my traveling companions, and then thoughts of Ravenhill would arbitrarily pop into my head. I found myself in a constant state of separation from the rest of the company, because of what I knew, because of what they couldn't imagine.

Because of Thorin's lectures, Fili and I talked very little over the next week. And when we did talk, it was only to exchange pleasantries during the morning and evening readying of our ponies.

A task which, though my ankle had nearly healed, he still insisted on doing for me. I missed his conversation, partly because he was very good at explaining the many details of dwarvish culture to me, and never laughed, or asked why I didn't already know something.

But I also missed his company because we didn't agree on everything. We would often argue over some old tradition that I found ridiculous or some misconception about the other races of middle earth.

In the end, though, he could persuade me to see the beauty and importance in some of his old traditions and in other cases I could manage to convince him that there was little or no sense to the tradition in question.

Our conversations had challenged me to think in new ways, and they were threatening to become as much a part of this adventure as the awe-inspiring views.

The last of such conversations was the talk we had that late night on watch. Since then, only small talk had passed between us. At first, I worried that something I had said made Fili want to distance himself from me, but as the week progressed I came to the realization that he avoided talk of that night only because I had avoided it.

Fili must have seen the pain in my face when I talked about my parents, and decided not to force me into bringing it up again. I had tried not to let the hurt show but I seemed to be losing my ability to mask my emotions.

It was this place.

It was these people.

It was with these thoughts that I rode into camp at the close of that same week. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I failed to notice our campsite.

Upon dismounting from my horse, however, it hit me!

This rocky ledge settled high up into the hills was familiar. It was, in fact, the sight from which Balin would tell the tale of the battle of Moria.

A shiver rushed through me. I had been anticipating this. The story of Moria was not only moving, but it impressed upon me just how far the dwarves of Erebor were willing to go for their king. It moved me, and I couldn't wait to see it play out.

When the company had come to a complete halt, the dwarves began to dismount and go about their usual dinner preparations. I meanwhile was bursting with excitement.

I hadn't felt my ankle twinge all day. Not even while we were preparing to leave camp this morning. I had to test it. I stood up in the stirrups and swung my right leg over Minty's back. I held into the saddle for a moment, mentally crossing my fingers, and then hopped down to earth.

I had never been so relieved and excited not to feel anything! I rolled my ankle again just to test it. And sure enough it was a little stiff, but it didn't hurt. Now that I think about it, jumping down from a pony and putting my full weight on it probably wasn't the most prudent test, but what did it matter now? My ankle was no worse off for it.

When I finally stopped grinning at my shoe like an idiot, I looked up to see Fili dismount from his horse next to me.

"How fared your day?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Very well indeed! I think that I have finally put the sprain behind me." I beamed.

I was surprised to see Fili grin back at me "Aria that's splendid! It doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Not a bit. It's a little stiff, but a blame the day on the pony for that." I said cheerfully.

As an afterthought, I added "oh, and would you mind keeping the whole, uh, Aria thing quiet. I don't know if I'm ready to tell everybody about…"

"I won't tell anyone," he said quietly, before undoing my backpack and bedroll from Minty's back. He offered both to me and I absentmindedly took them from him. I dropped my backpack on the ground and was alarmed to see the top flap fly open. Two things fell from its interior.

My hair brush, and the copy of Romeo and Juliet that I had been so carefully hiding from the rest of the company!

I bent over and picked up my backpack and stuck the brush back into it and was about to reach for the book when Fili stooped down and removed the book from the ground, dusted it off, and held it out to me.

My heart pounded. He wasn't supposed to see that. None of them were. That book couldn't have come from middle earth and I should have burned it that first night at bag end.

 _So careful how you use your tongue._

A line of that poem warning me not to give away any sign that I was out of the ordinary.

I snatched the book quickly from Fili's hands and stuffed it back into the depths of my backpack.

I paused, realizing my rudeness, and looked up at Fili. "I am sorry, that was an ill-mannered thing to do, but the book is private," I said hastily.

Fili just nodded and turned back to unsaddling my pony.

I hoisted the pack onto my back and walked the short distance to the campsite. Nori and Oin had already begun stacking wood for a fire, and Bofur and Bombur were unpacking supplies for dinner. My stomach grumbled for food, but somehow I just wasn't hungry.

I set up my bedroll close to the edge of camp and took the book out of my backpack. I stared at it for a moment. It had caused me more trouble than it was worth. If Thorin found out that I had a book that was written in a script and a language that none among them but I could read, I was likely to be booted from the company immediately.

I slipped the book back into the pack and rummaged around until it was at the very bottom. I didn't want it slipping out again, and I couldn't just destroy it with everyone watching. The only way I could manage to burn it was if I was on guard, and who knew when that would happen again.

And then an idea came to me. It came very quietly, and from a part of my mind that had been in disuse for a long while.

Orcs.

We were being hunted by orcs. If I could get close enough to eavesdrop on their camp, I might be able to help the company. In that one act, I could make up for my book blunder by helping the company.

I smiled to myself.

For it was also a sure way to get me back onto watch duty...I could burn the book.

I just had to make sure no one saw me.

The fire was roaring, dwarves were settling down for bed, and dinner had been consumed with great relish.

It was nearly time to go.

Thorin had delegated Fili and Kili for the night watch, and I could see the two of them talking and laughing over pipes of tobacco. Part of my wanted to get up and join them by the fire. I was cold and after all, in want of a good conversation.

I decided against it. I had to leave soon, and besides, I was both angry and embarrassed that Fili had found the book and I wasn't in the mood to talk to him.

As I lay there, I began to become drowsy. I was jolted awake by an unintelligible whisper, and then the words

"Who's a good girl?"

Bilbo was already feeding Myrtle that apple! I should be well away from camp by now. I sat up quietly.

I had chosen my spot well, for it was near the trees, and out of Gandalf's line of sight. I stood slowly,my bedroll falling around my feet. I stepped out of it, and taking nothing but my dagger, slipped into the trees.

I stood watching the camp, trying to make out if anyone had noticed my departure. I was just turning to face the woods when I heard it.

A screeching from the valley. A sound to curdle the blood of even the bravest of men. Orcs.

I turned back to the light of the fire, wanting to go back to bed. What was I thinking sneaking up on their camp like that? This was a horrible idea.

"And after all," I reminded myself "you're not in the film. You don't know if you're going to die before all of this is over or not."

I gulped.

"What was that?" came Bilbo's apprehensive question.

"Orcs," said Kili.

At this, Bilbo jogged over to the fire in alarm.

"Orcs?" he asked.

I noticed Thorin, who had been sleeping with his back propped up against a rock, jerk awake at the mention of these foul creatures.

"Throat cutters, there'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them," said Fili matter-of-factly.

I had to suppress a grin because I knew that he and his brother were just teasing Bilbo.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone asleep. Quick and quiet, no screams, just lots of blood," said Kili gesturing with his pipe. Bilbo turned in the direction of said lowlands, and a good thing to, for he missed the exchange between Fili and Kili.

Kili tapped his hand against his leg, as if trying to contain a great burst of laughter, and turned to grin at Fili. The two exchanged a chuckle before being silenced by Thorin's deep voice.

"You think that's funny?" he said.

"What I think," I whispered, "is that's my cue to go." And that's what I did. I turned and quietly retreated into the forest. The last thing I heard before all sounds of camp faded, was Thorin's raised voice.

"You know nothing of the world!" he lectured his nephews.

As I crept away I thought about them. Kili wouldn't mind being lectured. It was in his nature not to take these scoldings too hardly. But Kili would take them to heart. He would remember his uncle's worlds, and they would be reflected in his future actions. He was in his late seventies after all, and though that was young for a dwarf, he was much more mature than a young human.

Fili, however, must be embarrassed at the scolding. As first in line for Erebor's throne (after Thorin) the weight of his people rested squarely upon his shoulders. His uncle's expectations were so high, and he must feel as if the eyes of the entire company were scrutinizing him. Comparing him to Thorin.

He had talked to me about his role, but I had done a lot of reading between the lines before realizing what he would never admit out loud.

Fili, had no interest, besides his sense of duty, in becoming king. Thorin's scrutiny of him, though it had been brief must not have been painless. I wished for a moment that I could talk to him about it.

Then I remembered that I was angry with him and dismissed the thought. As I walked down hill, I remembered crossing my arms, as if to prove my anger to the night sky. This practice ended when I nearly tripped over a rock and realized that I needed my arms for balance.

I picked my way down the slope at such a rate of speed as I would not normally employ. I was surprised to find that the cliff face did not extend as far into the valley as I had thought. The misperception of depth must have been caused by the thick fog that had hung over the lowlands during our ride that day.

I found myself on a mountain ledge not unlike the one that we ourselves were camped on. From my position, I could see that the ledge connected our cliffside to that of the orc's camp. I judged that I could cross the ledge in only a few minutes, so I kept a good pace.

Upon reaching the far side, I encountered an obstacle I had not bargained for. In order to reach the orc's camp, I would have to scale the cliff.

I began to shake uncontrollably at the thought. I was terrified of heights.

No. Terrified wasn't the right word.

Mortified, or even petrified, was a better choice.

And what awaited me at the top? A camp full of bloodthirsty orcs and wargs who would love nothing better than a late night snack of dwarf flesh.

I felt lightheaded and unsteady. What in middle earth had possessed me to do this? I put a hand out to brace myself on the cliffside. The stone beneath my hand was cool and comforting. I don't know how else to describe it. I ran my thumb over the stone and was surprised to feel my tense body relaxed.

I felt centered.

When I looked once more to the top of the cliff, it did not seem so daunting. In fact, I could have sworn that I already saw my way to the top.

I had no immediate explanation for this sudden change in outlook, but I decided to go with it. I began, slowly at first, to climb the cliff. At around twenty feet off of the ground, my shoelace became entangled in a crevice. I tried to tug it free but to no avail. I adjusted my hands to a lower place on the wall, and then bent over. It was dizzying and vertigo inducing. After an agonizing minute, I was able to work myself free and tuck the shoelace into the shoe.

I continued my climb. The stone under my hands felt reassuring even as I left the safety of firm ground further and further beneath me. All dwarves were naturally closer to stone and to minerals than other races. Could that be why I felt as I did? I dismissed the thought. I had more important topics with which to occupy my mind.

I climbed for minutes before I heard a new sound.

A deep rasping choking breath. A painting.

 _A Warg_

I gulped. The ledge was less than ten feet above my head. That thing could smell for miles. And then I heard a voice from above my head.

"We have found the dwarf scum." was a rough translation.

But I dare not write those words in the language they were uttered. Black speech is not a language for great tales.

From above me came a rough sniffing noise followed closely by a low growl.

My thoughts became muddled with terror and my only clear thought was of that poem.

" _Lest you should leave the company,_

 _And deaths occur that should not be."_

I had left the company. And I now found myself closer to death than I had been in a long while.


	10. A vision and a thought

**Chapter 10**

"What do you smell?" said the same raspy voice from above my head.

I heard uneven footsteps approaching the edge. Then a loud snorting noise that nearly made me throw up in my mouth.

"Dwarf flesh." came an equally horrid voice.

I was done for. I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that they had caught my scent. I felt my hands begin to grow sweaty and I had to readjust my hold on the rock. I heard the voice from above my head and froze, one arm still hovering in the air.

"I've got a better sniffer than I thought." the orc said.

Both creatures laughed a horrid laugh. It sounded more like a choking cat than a sound of mirth.

"Them dwarves are clear across the rift and I can smell 'em from here." came the same voice.

I breathed an inward sigh of relief as I heard the footsteps of the wargs retreat from the ledge.

That was too close.

I decided then that I knew all that I needed from the films. It was time to return to camp. I began the slow descent of the cliff face. In other circumstances I would have felt disappointed, but my heart was pounding in my ears and my entire body was shivering. Not out of cold, but from the sheer terror of what had occurred just moments earlier.

The journey down the rock face occupied at least twice the time of the ascent. And so, by the time that my shoes touched the firm ground, I had been away from camp for nearly two hours.

I crossed the ledge in much the same fashion, and at much the same speed as I had made my way down the cliff. I was just beginning to calm down when I heard footsteps.

I was momentarily flustered before realizing that the footsteps were coming from the direction my own camp. Even with this in mind, I drew my dagger.

A figure was now becoming apparent through the night's shadow and mist. His stature and gait were those of a dwarf. I breathed a sigh of relief before realizing just how bad this looked. I had been gone for longer than I intended. To be caught now in this rift, far away from the safety of the camp? It was only then that I realized the utter stupidity of my actions. Even if I had gathered information from the orc camp I couldn't have told Thorin. He wasn't supposed to discover the orc pack following us until the day after our encounter with the trolls!

I kicked a rock in my frustration and was only slightly gratified to feel no protest from my ankle.

Now the dwarf was so close to me that I could tell who it was. I was both relieved and angry to see Fili. I hadn't quite forgiven him for the book incident earlier that day, but I was still shaken from the events of the night and it was good to see a familiar face.

I heard the sound of steel drawn, and then a quiet voice. "Aria, is that you?"

I nodded my head, suddenly ashamed of what I had done. Realizing that he couldn't see me in the mist and the dark, I nodded again and spoke.

"Yes, it's me," I whispered.

"Good. What were you thinking?" he demanded.

I shrugged.

"Aria?" he asked.

I was amazed at how much anger such a quiet voice could hold. Anger, and fear? But what was he afraid of? He didn't know how close we were to the orcs.

When I gave no answer, he placed a hand on each of my shoulders. "Look at me. Why are you out here?" he asked slowly. The anger began to fade from his voice, but the fear remained.

"I, um, I couldn't sleep so I came for a walk." I lied through my teeth. And I was surprised by the wave of guilt that followed.

He crossed his arms. He didn't buy that story for one second.

"You can't just wander off in the middle of the night like that. I wouldn't have found you at all if Thorin hadn't got up for second watch and realized you were gone."

"Thorin knows?" I asked before thinking better of it.

Fili didn't say anything for a moment, but then he sighed and said, "he doesn't trust you Aria."

"Why are you telling me this? Is it because you think you can trust me?" I blurted.

"I didn't at first, but lately…" he trailed off.

I needed to get something straight. I couldn't stand deceiving him or any of the others more than I had to, so I told him something.

"You shouldn't trust me. I wouldn't dream of doing anything to hurt or betray a member of this company, but there are things I can't tell any of you. It isn't my choice but I just don't want to get anyone hurt." a tear slipped down my cheek. That was all I could say. That was all the explanation that he would ever get.

"Whose choice is it then?" Fili asked.

I sniffed and smiled sadly. "I can't," I said.

"I don't know that matters. Thorin thinks that you are a spy who blackmailed him into bringing you on this venture. You have to say something to him," Fili whispered urgently.

"I am no spy," I stated emphatically.

I decided that I only wished to go back to camp, so I started to walk past Fili. I was halted in my tracks.

"Wait," he said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You were finished talking?"

"I said I wasn't a spy and I meant it," I told him.

"And I told you that Thorin thought you blackmailed him." said Fili.

I smiled sheepishly into the night and walked past him.

Fili seemed to be wrapping his head around what I had implied.

"Hold on. Does that mean that you...did you?"

"Quite probably," I chuckled.

"You blackmailed Thorin?" Fili stammered.

"Well, that depends on how you loo-" I defended myself

"You blackmailed Thorin didn't you." It was not a question.

"Maybe?" I shrugged.

"You astound me. No one blackmails Thorin Oakenshield." Fili laughed.

"Me, apparently," I said. "Besides, I only implied that if he left me in Hobbiton I would have trouble not spreading the word of his secret quest," I said.

I saw Fili, who was now walking side by side with me shake his head. When he spoke again, the tone of his voice had become somewhat somber, and I knew that joking was, for the moment, set aside.

"Before he sent me to look for you Thorin took me aside. He means to leave you at the nearest sign of civilization. He told me that I was to keep a close eye on you, and should you slip away again, I was to follow you. Aria you have to tell me where you went. That's twice now that you've disappeared from camp and not been seen for hours."

I took a deep breath in and sighed. " Well as for the first time, I can be completely honest with you. Do you recall the place of our camp on that day?"

"Yes. Near that lazy river wasn't it?" Fili asked.

"That's the one. I, well, I went to wash my hair. I'd never been so long without a bath in my life," I trailed off.

I was thankful for the darkness because, for some reason unknown to me, I had begun to blush. I could feel the heat in my cheeks, and I had to roll my eyes at my own incapabilities. I should have told someone where I was going before I left.

"Oh, if that's all then why not just tell Thorin?" Fili asked. He sounded relieved, which could only mean that he had hoped me to be truthful, but until now he hadn't believed me entirely.

"No! I certainly don't need to tell Him what I have or haven't been doing with my hair of all things. And you're not going to tell him either!" I hissed.

"You're not going to change your mind about this." It wasn't a question.

"No," I said, crossing my arms.

Goodness, I was more stubborn than I remembered.

"You're in over your head on this. You know that, don't you?" he asked.

I nodded. "I know," I said.

And I did know. I had acted foolishly and rashly and now Thorin distrusted me enough to detail Fili to watch me. I was in way over my head this time.

As we reached the campsite and I slid back into my bedroll, Fili's words echoed through my head. _He means to leave you at the nearest sign of civilization._ That would be Rivendell. My journey would end at Rivendell. Any slim chance that I had of saving Fili, Kili, and Thorin was to slip between my fingers.

I would have given up all determination and hope, had it not been for the timely intervention of the third dream.

* * *

 _I was once more thrust into the sunny forest with the overwhelming sensation of truth all around me._

 _The draft horse reared once more, kicking its front feet out towards Philip. Its rider, who I could now see was a girl of some twelve or thirteen years, slid off of the horse coming to rest nimbly on her feet. She ran to stand in front of Philip and reached for the horse's muzzle._

 _She began to speak to it, calming it with honeyed words in a tone that was both strong and soothing. I understood what she said, but that I quickly realized that her words were elvish. As the horse began to settle down, she was able to reach up to stroke its muzzle._

 _I moved closer to them and was able to better make the girl out. She was shorter than Philip, but she held herself as if she were ten feet tall. Her hair was wavy and raven in color. She had pulled it into a half up that reminded me of the way Kili wore his hair (minus the bangs). She had the same bright blue eyes as both of the other children. For the first time, I wondered if they could be related._

 _The horse was now calmed, and the girl turned to glare at Philip._

" _You scared him!" she said._

" _It's good to see you too Ella," he said sarcastically._

 _The girl, Ella, softened. "I'm sorry. I missed you to Philip. Where's Kahladwhen? It's quite unlike my sister to miss out on a chance to break the rules." she mused._

" _Who? Oh, Kahli's up there somewhere. And we didn't break any rules coming out here." Philip said indignantly._

" _Oh, so you have permission to be this far away from the mountain. On foot, and unaccompanied. Things must have changed a great deal. And here was I thinking I had only stayed away three months."_

 _The mountain? We must be near the lonely mountain. These children must be dwarves of Erebor! Sure the two girls had a delicate look about them, but their height convinced me._

 _Kahli chose that moment to come swinging down through the branches to alight on the ground._

" _You moron Philip! I told you it was her." Kahli laughed._

" _Moron? What does that word mean? Is it elvish?" Philip asked in confusion._

 _I couldn't help but laugh at this. I laughed because the word "moron" was definitely one not used in middle earth._

 _Kahli just shrugged. "I heard your mama say it once and it sounded insulting."_

 _Then, she seemed to notice her sister and gave her a tight bear hug._

" _I missed you, Ella!"_

" _And I missed you Kahladwhen." Ella said._

 _Kahli drew back._

" _Kahladwhen? Since when do you use my full name?" Kahli asked suspiciously._

" _Since I learned it's meaning. You were named for a beautiful light," said Ella._

 _Kahli rolled her eyes before saying "oh that's all. I'm relieved, for a moment there I thought the woodland sprites must have addled your brains!"_

" _They're elves, and I was studying healing and history with them. They haven't done anything to my brain," said Ella._

" _I wish that my father could have convinced them only to take you for one month of the year. Three really is too many," said Philip._

 _I followed as the three dwarves walked towards the sounds of civilization, with Ella in the middle leading her horse by its bridle. It occurred to me then that Ella was the only dwarf I had seen ride a full sized horse._

" _I don't like it much either but it is my duty to help in what way I can. Studying with the elves creates a tie with them. I think that good will come of it in the end." said Ella._

 _Ella seemed well beyond her years in knowledge. I was intrigued to learn more about her. As I followed them, I heard them talk. Kahli was reprimanded for getting into so much trouble while her older sister was away, but all three laughed and congratulated the redhead on her schemes._

" _You scared him with that dagger. If you hadn't had it out, he wouldn't have reared. I nearly fell off." I heard Ella chiding Philip._

 _I felt the forest darkening around me and I assumed I was awakening. Instead of opening my eyes at camp, the scene around me lightened to reveal the three dwarves again. Only the scene had vastly changed. They strolled through the brightly colored bustling streets of a city._

 _Dale, I realized._

 _Philip and Ella ate small brightly colored cakes while Kahli sucked sugary frosting from her fingers. The horse walked obediently behind Ella, and they were literally dwarfed in comparison to the great black beast. They ambled their way down to the gates of the city, where Philip helped the girls onto the horse before begrudgingly accepting Kahli's hand and climbing on himself._

 _I was beginning to wonder why I was seeing this. The sense that I knew the three of them was only irritating me. And the sense that what I was watching was real? That terrified me. I soon found out just why I was watching._

 _I seemed to watch from afar as the horse galloped out the city gate. I could see the rugged beauty of the landscapes. Young forests and little fields of crop sprung up every which way I looked. It was breathtaking._

 _And through it all rode the three dwarves. The horse veered to the side and began to gallop up a tightly twisting mountainside path. I heard, as if through a tunnel, Philip's voice._

" _Why aren't we going straight home? You know I don't like it up here!"_

" _I've been stuck in a forest for three months. I'm getting the full view!" Ella yelled over the wind._

 _I followed the path with my eyes and a feeling of dread filled me. The watch tower at Ravenhill was not the ruin that I had seen in the films but it was unmistakable. I watched as the horse reach the top of the path. They slipped off his back one by one, and my view changed._

 _I was now standing on firm ground as I watched as Ella secured the horse's bridle to a post._

" _Stay here Stormbringer, we will return soon," she whispered to the horse._

 _The name Stormbringer became him well. He tossed his head in annoyance at being left behind but obeyed Ella._

 _I was starting to feel more at ease in this place when it happened. I could see the intact watchtower before my eyes. I could see the three dwarves crossing the bridge over the ice lake._

 _Then I could see something else._

 _Like a ghost falling over Ravenhill the buildings deteriorated to ruin, and the bridge disappeared. The three dwarves didn't seem to notice. They walked towards the watchtower, conversing easily. Oblivious._

" _Fili, take your brother. Scout out the towers. Keep low and out of sight. If you see something, report back, do not engage. Do you understand?" said Thorin._

 _I snapped my head around to see them. Thorin, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili, all dressed out in battle regalia._

 _"We have company. Goblin mercenaries. No more than a hundred." yelled Dwalin._

 _"We'll take care of them. Go. Go." Thorin ordered._

 _My head spun. Why was I seeing this? What was happening?_

" _No! Don't go! Fili, Kili wait!" I yelled, but my protests fell upon deaf ears. I was but a spectator in this dream. Fated to see but never to touch the lives of those within._

 _My vision changed once again. I was with Philip, Ella, and Kahli atop the tower. They still didn't notice the ruins around them. Philip looked slightly nauseous and stood back from the edge._

" _You've seen the view, can we be done with this place now?" he said quietly._

 _Ella nodded, and throwing a last wistful look at the great valley, she linked arms with her sister and the three of them made for the stairs._

 _It was only when Ella threw a teasing grin at Philip that I realized who she reminded me of. The half up hair, the grin, the quiver of arrows slung over her back. Her younger sisters recklessness and fiery hair. A dwarf sent to study with elves. Two girls who, if they were taller, could be mistaken for elves themselves._

 _Of course!_

 _I had stalled there for too long and the trio had slipped down the stairs. By the time I caught up to them, they had stopped in a corridor._

" _I think I left my dagger upstairs." Philip was saying._

 _Kahli mad to run back up the stairs but Philip stopped her._

" _Stay here, go back to the lower levels. I've got it!" he said, and then the girls turned and headed down the corridor._

 _Hang on, this was too familiar. It was nearly the same thing that Fili had said when… and he was gone just like that. Up the stairs and out of my sight. Dread threatened to eat me whole from within. I didn't think it could get any worse._

 _Two familiar figures joined me in the corridor._

 _Fili and Kili heard a gong sound from ahead and just as Kahli had done, Kili tried to rush forward. And just as with Philip, Fili stopped him in his tracks._

" _Stay here, search the lower levels. I've got this," said Fili, and his brother obeyed._

 _I knew what was going to happen, so I reached out to touch his arm. To stop him in his tracks. My fingers felt nothing but air and Fili went forward._

 _My vision changed once more and I stood with Thorin, Dwalin, and Bilbo as light pulsed from the tower bove._

 _As Azog spit terrible words from his mouth. I could see Fili, still struggling as he was lifted from the ground, and stabbed. Then he fell to earth._

 _I think I screamed, but what words I do not know. I rushed down from the ledge and across the ice. I saw Kili dart from his hiding place in the lower hall and run, enraged, up the stairs. As I neared the edge of the frozen lake, I heard words echo around me. The same poem that I had heard whilst I fell._

My child,

You know what is to come,

So careful how you use your tongue,

Lest you should leave the company

And deaths occur that should not be.

This was no dream. This had been set to me by the same force that brought me to middle earth.

 _I don't know what I expected to see when I reached the foot of the tower, but it was certainly not what I found. Fili lay upon the ground, dead. And by his side lay Phillip, two pairs of startling blue eyes gazed unseeing to the sky._

" _And deaths occur that should not be," I whispered._

 _Now that I saw them together, the resemblance was too strong. Fili's son. Of course. In that instant, I understood the dream. If Fili died, Philip would never see life._

 _Four lives, not just three, rested upon my shoulders. Wait, no, six._

 _Kahli and Ella!_

 _Kili!_

 _I ran to the stairs, bounding up them without heed to my surroundings. I rushed through the watchtower, hoping to find them, somehow to stop them. To save them._

 _I heard the distressed cry of a woman followed closely by the scream of an orc. Tauriel had pushed herself from the cliff with Bolg in toe._

 _I was too late._

 _I stumbled upon the place where they lay. Kili was dead. I couldn't stand it. He wasn't gone. Neither of them could be gone. I saw movement! I turned to find out what it had been. There upon the snow and blood spattered earth, Ella sat cradling Kahli's body. Tears streaming silently from her eyes even as blood seeped through her own tunic._

 _I watched as the light slowly left her._

 _The watchtower fell silent._

* * *

I rode through the rain silently with my hood down. I had not the strength to pull it over my hair, and what good would it do now? I had awoken in pure silence early that morning. I lay shocked and awake for what felt like hours before the rest of the company got up. I had packed quickly and saddled my own pony.

I wasn't hungry, indeed, my stomach was still churning and hollow, so I skipped breakfast. I had only one clear thought. If those children died along with Fili and Kili, then I didn't know how much longer I would last. I could not bear the weight of their deaths on my shoulders. I was NOT staying at Rivendell, no matter what Thorin decided when he got there. I found myself sneaking glances at Fili and Kili throughout the morning. Part of me still saw them, dead, the smiles gone from their eyes. I had to keep reasuring myself that my two friends were still there.

Still alive.

And then, just after lunch, the rain had begun. No one was in high spirits, and even though we found cover on a forest road, the rain was still heavy.

I thought about the dream for hours on end. Going over everything that had happened in my mind. There was but one thing that still confused me. Philip's dagger. Or rather, my dagger. I unsheathed it and stared at it. It was a thing of beauty and delicacy. But also a weapon of some fragile strength. I had never seen anything remotely like it in my life.

"I'd meant to ask you about that," said Fili. He had been riding by my side (per Thorin's orders) for the entire morning, but he hadn't spoken until now.

"What do you want to know?" I said. I was surprised at the fatigue in my voice.

"How did you come by it?" he asked.

"Found it, at Bag End," I mumbled.

"And why have you been staring at it for the past ten minutes?"

"It's been ten already?" I asked.

"At least," was his frank reply.

I decided to tell him part of the truth because, as usual, part of the truth was all I could say.

"I dreamed it belonged to a boy of some fourteen or fifteen years and I can't figure out how he got it," I said absentmindedly. For even as I spoke I could still not comprehend the problem.

"I see," said Fili. He was looking at me as if he questioned my health.

"It was only a dream you know. You seem to be the owner of that dagger at present and that is all you have to worry about," he concluded as if he had solved all my problems.

"You don't understand. It was so different from any other dream I have had. This one had such a sense of reality about it. I am sure it was true," I said. It felt good to tell someone, even if I couldn't say everything.

Fili tried to reason with me. "If it was so realistic, then what was his name?"

The irony of the moment hit me. Fili was unknowingly asking me for the name of his own son. He obviously thought I would have no answer for him.

"His name was Philip," I said.

"Philip? I don't think I've heard that name before now. It's quite odd," Fili considered.

I laughed. "No more odd than your name. I had never heard a person called Fili in my life until I met you."

"And you know people by the name of Philip?" he asked incredulously.

"A few," I shrugged.

"Well if you say it is a good name than I trust you. I'll take your word for it," he said.

As we rode, we fell into easy conversation. I told him some of the dream, excluding Dale, Ravenhill, and Ella's studies with elves. He thought it incredibly amusing that Philip had gotten Kahli to climb the tree in the way that he did.

When I told him why Philip had remained on the ground, I learned that Fili shared my fear of heights, and for some reason took great pleasure in this.

He greatly desired to meet the dwarf that would ride a fully grown horse and we agreed that should either of us ever meet a midnight black draft horse, we should give it a name such as Stormbringer.

We broke off the conversation to listen to a story that Gandalf was telling.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" was the last thing Fili asked me.

"Yes, Radagast the brown, he's another wizard. Now hush I'm trying to listen." I said. But there was no malice in my voice, and I was glad that we were talking again.

I listened to Gandalf's story about Radagast who was, in actuality, Gandalf's cousin. I found it engaging but I was soon drawn back into thoughts about the vision. For that was what I had decided to call it. Dreams were fanciful, but this? This was real.

My thoughts took a far different and far more puzzling route than they had earlier that day. I thought of how funny it would be to tell Kili that I already knew what his children looked like. I imagined a happy future where the battle was won, and Kili and Tauriel (for who else could be the mother?)would settle down, and the two girls would be born.

I imagined myself giving him such a shock by guessing the names of each of his daughters. I wandered through thoughts of Kili being a father and was thoroughly gratified with these thoughts until they took an unexpected turn.

Fili.

Fili was Philip's father and would, if he survived the battle, marry. Fili would marry and he and his wife would have Philip.

Some day there would be a girl, a proper dwarven girl, who would make him laugh and talk.

And fall in love.

I didn't like her very much. I completely forgot that neither Fili or I had met such a girl.

By the time we made camp (in the least muddy part of the forest we could find) I had decided that I wholly disliked her.

It didn't occur to me until late that night while I was drifting off to sleep, that I might be jealous of this girl. I dismissed the thought as ridiculous and turned over in an attempt to find a more comfortable spot on the ground.

But the thought kept returning unbidden to my mind, and when sleep finally took me, some part of it lodged itself in my consciousness and refused to leave.


	11. Dinner at Trollshaws

Sorry for the long wait! The school admin decided to place a block on all our laptops so we can't get sites like fanfiction. (gasps) So it has been hard to find access to a computer. Hope you all enjoy!

 **Chapter** **** **11**

In the days that followed, I had no more dreams. My nights were restful though short. Some days Thorin would have us up before the crack of dawn and we would watch the sunrise, renewed by the new lands through which we rode. I loved watching the sky set a fire every morning with the light of a new day.

Though the steaks of this journey were higher than any I had yet to be faced with, I felt a peace grow within me. Every day I smiled more openly and got to know my traveling companions better. I learned things about the dwarves that you couldn't tell from the films.

Nori was the only one of the company who could calm a frightened pony.

Bofur could make a story about a dishcloth sound interesting.

Fili was easily thrown off by schedule changes and was more orderly than most of his companions.

Kili's poetic outburst in Laketown (after Tauriel healed him) made more sense to me after I found out that he sat by the fire every night writing in a small leatherbound book. I caught him at it one night before bed and he made me swear not to tell the others.

I can safely say that I kept my word in that regard...I think. Oh well, my point in saying all of this is that I finally felt my fortunes changing for the better. For days I worried not about the quest or my sticky predicament but soon lost myself in the story that had become my every waking hour.

My rude wake-up call to the fact that we did indeed still have a quest to accomplish, came some time after the cliff-side incident. One evening, Thorin's simple call of "We camp here for the night, Fili, Kili, look after the ponies, make sure you stay with them." was protested by Gandalf.

I didn't recognize my surroundings until I heard Gandalf's voice. " A farmer and his family used to live here," the wizard mused. I took a good look at the ruined cottage before realizing where we were camping. I grinned.

"Trollshaws," I whispered.

"What was that?" asked Fili. Who was, as ordered, still keeping an eye on me.

"Oh, nothing," I said quickly. I doubt he bought that for a second, especially since I was still unable to suppress my smile. Sure the three trolls nearly ate the entire company, but that didn't change the fact that they were some of the most comedic characters in the entire film. I was anticipating the night to come!

"Oin, Gloin, get a fire going." ordered Thorin, who was out of earshot from the wizard.

"I think it would be wiser to move on!" Gandalf said in a raised tone.

From my pony, I could see Thorin approach Gandalf to confront him.

"We could make for the hidden valley," the wizard continued.

I couldn't hear Thorin's hushed reply, but I knew that he would rebuff Gandalf's idea. Neither Thorin nor the others wanted anything to do with elves. And they would sooner rot in a cell than seek refuge with them.

I saw the two move further into the dilapidated building as the conversation continued. I dismounted my pony and was beginning to loosen my bedroll from the saddle when I saw Gandalf storming towards us.

"Everything alright?" asked a concerned Bilbo.

"Gandalf, where are you going?" he asked.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf announced.

"And who's that?" Bilbo asked.

"Myself, Mister Baggins!" yelled the wizard as he left the clearing, and the company, behind.

As he left, I heard him mumble something about having enough of dwarves for one day, and I smiled. I was in an altogether good mood until Thorin gave another order.

"Come on Bomber, we're hungry! Get dinner started. And you, help with the cooking tonight." Thorin pointed right at me.

Great. Just what I always wanted. Cooking duty.

I finished unsaddling Minty before handing her reins to Balin, who had kindly offered to take her back to the other ponies for me so I could commence my dinner duties. It was meant well but I had been hoping that the walk would prolong the inevitability of my kitchen duties.

I sat by on an overturned log as Oin and Gloin kindled the fire into a warm comforting blaze. The cauldron was set out, and at Bombur's bidding, I began to unpack the cooking supplies.

There were dried meats and fruits, but the main course of our dinner was a dwarven traveling speciality. A greasy hard block wrapped in a waxed cloth was tonight's main course. When I asked exactly how we were supposed to eat it, Bombur told me that it was a dehydrated traveling stew. When you put the block of "condensed broth" into a pot of boiling water it became an appetizing meal.

I didn't believe this for one second, but I decided that I had probably already tasted it at some point without being aware of the fact. Having finished the unpacking I assumed my job was finished and was turning to leave when I was called back to the fire.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Bombur.

"I dunno, aren't I? Uh, I mean am I not?" I babbled.

"Salt. You've got to put the salt in the cauldron before we serve the stew." Bombur explained to me.

"Oh, right. I'll get on that. Just give me a moment to find it." I said. Perhaps I had been a little too industrious at my unpacking because I had to get down on my hands and knees to root through a pile of spice jars that lay next to their, now empty, haversack.

I found a nicely sized jar that was full of a white granulated substance that must have been the salt. It had a label scribbled in runes across its front. It took me a moment of squinting at it to realize that I could not seem to read the markings. My jaw dropped.

I was illiterate.

I could speak and understand Khuzdul perfectly, but I could neither read nor write it. I repeat. I. Could. Not. Read.

This was a problem. I'm trying to be nonchalant about writing this but it was literally the most terrifying thing that had ever happen to me. Throughout my childhood, I had spent more time reading than actually interacting with people. The written word had become intertwined in my life and if I was to live with dwarves, that was gone.

I was stunned. I tried rubbing my eyes and I shook my head but try as I might, I could not read the words on the jar.

"Lass, 'ave you found the salt yet?" came Bombur's voice. It took me a moment to register his words and nod my head dumbly. I stood, still holding the jar, and brought it to the cauldron. Once there, I opened the lid and poured some into the pot that was now bubbling with hot stew. I put the lid back on the jar and took one last desperate look at the label before setting it down upon the ground.

Bofur began to hand out wooden bowls and the dwarves got into a haphazard line in front of the cauldron. I didn't join them. My appetite was completely gone and I felt queasy. It was as if I had been floating on the ocean and someone just stabbed a hole in my life raft.

I couldn't read now? The thought shocked me and I went to sit on one of the small boulders scattered about our campsite. I was joined there by Bilbo, who had already collected his own bowl of stew.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I don't know. I can't read the runes on the spice jars. I doubt I can read anything else." I said numbly.

"And you're just now finding this out?" asked the hobbit, bewildered.

"I...uh...no. I am not just finding this out." I said slowly, realizing my mistake.

"I just want to learn but because of all this traveling I haven't had the time." I stuttered in an attempt to cover my brief slip up. Bilbo seemed to buy my story and thought a moment before speaking.

"Well, you know what Gandalf would say. The world isn't in books and maps. It's out here." he quoted.

"Do you believe that?" I asked.

"I'm starting to see what he meant, yes, but I still miss my library." said Bilbo with just a hint of regret in his voice.

I nodded, thinking about the library back home. I thought that maybe I missed it before realizing that I read to escape. I had now done precisely that. Still, I wished for the smell of old books and the occasional tea or coffee that I had brought with me into that place. I was just begining to drift into daydreams about the library when Bilbo spoke again.

"What exactly did you say about not being able to read the spice jars?"

"Just that. I can't read them. Why do you ask?" I said suspiciously.

"Because this tastes strange," said the hobbit, grimacing.

Then I heard another voice. And then another. Mutterings and grumblings all about the same thing.

"There's a sharpness to it. I don't like this, not at all."

"What are you trying to do Bombur, poison us?"

"This is fowl."

That's disgusting, that is, and I won't eat it."

Then I heard Bofur calling me. I got up off of my boulder and walked over to where he stood. All voices in the camp had fallen silent and all but Thorin seemed to be paying wrapped attention to me.

"Yes?" I winced.

"Where's the salt that you put in?" Bofur asked slowly.

I hung my head and searched the ground with my eyes until I located the offending jar. I shuffled over to where it lay and bent down to pick it up. I handed the jar to Bofur and waited while he studied the label.

He finally spoke."Lass, this is a blister remedy. It's not salt and it's nye on impossible to eat."

"I'm sorry," I said weekly.

"It's not your fault lass," he sighed.

"What do you mean not her fault? Who else could be blamed?" Gloin intoned loudly.

"I blame your brother!" exclaimed Nori, pointing an accusing finger at Oin. "He's always sticking the medicine in with the food!"

"It's not my fault that the lass won't read the labels. It was there clear as day. Medicinal use only!" Oin defended himself.

The dwarves carried on in this way for what felt like ages. Indeed, by the time the quarreling was done with, the sun had nearly set. I stood there bewildered and embarrassed in the middle of it all until a new stew was decided upon. More water was fetched and the stew restarted.

Through the entire thing I sat by, useless, and seething. While the stew was restarted, I was forced to endure Gloin's unabridged narrative of his own wife's cooking prowess. He spoke her praises loudly and for all to hear. She would never do such a foolish thing as put medicine into a stew. When she chose to, no cook could rival her. She would always read the markings on a spice before putting it into food.

At this I could take no more. I crossed my arms, scowled, and exited the camp site. I wasn't entirely sure where I was going but I wasn't hanging around to hear Gloin's grumblings for another second.

I stomped through the woods, fuming. I subconsciously found myself gravitating towards the sounds of soft whinnying. I came upon the pony's little clearing moments later and was pleased to see that Minty was standing closest to me. I was still antagonized by the salt mishap, so I kicked a branch lying on the ground in front of me.

Minty whinnied and backed up into Bungo so I checked my gait. I slowed to a walk, and finally reached my pony. I reached for her muzzle and stroked it gently. As I did so, I felt my anger slowly fade.

"Oh, what are we going to do with all these dwarves?" I asked her softly.

"Well, if you hate them that much just poison the lot and have done with it," came Kili's joking voice from somewhere between the ponies.

"That wasn't you was it?" I whispered to Minty. The pony snorted softly.

"Do I sound sound like a pony to you?" asked the dwarf, who was now passing behind the ponies to talk to me.

"No, you've got a vocal range more along the lines of a donkey," I said dryly. I was still snippet from the events of earlier that night.

"Ouch, what's happened to you?" asked Kili, eyebrows raised.

"I've just tried to poison the entire company and failed," I deadpanned.

Kili laughed.

"She wasn't kidding," came Fili's voice from behind us.

I was startled for a moment to see him before remembering that he too had been on pony watch. I raised my right hand and tucked my hair behind my ear before realizing I had done so. This had become such a common occurrence that I now rarely noticed it.

Kili said " of course she was kidding." at the same time that I said "How did you know?"

Fili reached us and said "Because you're a terrible liar."

I had a moment to think about what he had said before Kili butted in.

"Wait, what did you do?!"

I rolled my eyes and explained to them that I hadn't intentionally tried to poison the dinner, I had just added a poison-like salt to the stew.

"Well, at least we know why dinner's so late," said Kili after I had finished.

I turned to my side to see what Fili thought of my tale and found him shaking his head silently and smiling. I shoved him lightly. "It wasn't that funny!" I accused.

"It was,"he said simply, still grinning.

"What? Is it that unusual that I can't cook?" I asked.

"Actually, yes, it is somewhat uncommon." Fili said.

"And now I suppose you're going to tell me that you can cook." I teased.

"Him? Cook? Fili can't cook! I'd be willing to bet you that he could burn water!" said Kili through his laughter, before turning and walking back through the ponies. Fili seemed to take his brother's joking with good humor and followed Kili.

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment before calling after them.

"You two know it's impossible to _burn_ water, right?"

"Not for Fili!" Kili called back over his shoulder.

I stood for another moment before jogging after them through our little herd of ponies. When I caught up to them on the other side of the ponies, I found them sitting on a fallen tree with their packs leaning up against it.

"You're not going back to the camp?" Fili asked as I hoisted myself up onto the tree beside him.

"Oh no, I don't think I could stand listening to Gloin prattle on about his perfect wife for another second. The way he put it you'd think she was a goddess or something. I mean he probably insulted the wives of other company members by practically singing her prai-"

"Aria!" Fili cut me off.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You were ranting,"' Fili said calmly.

"Aria?" asked Kili.

"Fili!" I broke in, when I realized that he had said my name aloud.

"Kili-" Fili tried to explain, but I cut him off.

"Great, now that we're all properly introduced, can we get back to Gloin's insipid-"

"Aria!" Fili cut me off again.

"What?" I asked for a second time.

"When you said you had an unconventional upbringing I didn't realize that you had no idea." Fili said.

"No idea about what?" I asked.

"Well, first of all, Gloin is the only one of us who is married, unless there's something you're not telling me," he said, raising his eyebrows.

I giggled! Both my hands shot up to cover my mouth. I did not giggle. Ever.

A thought occurred to me. "But that's impossible. Thirteen fully grown dwarves and only one married!"

"No, it's actually quite common. Only a third or so of the dwa-"Fili was cut off.

"If this is just going to be another culture lesson I might as well take a nap," yawned Kili.

"I don't think so! You heard what thorin said. We're to stay with them. This won't take long and besides, you wouldn't want to miss dinner." Fili reprimanded his younger brother.

"Carry on then," said Kili, pulling his pipe from his coat pocket.

Fili turned back to me and continued.

"Only a third or so of dwarves are women, so that's already disproportionate."

"Maybe, but that should still turn out to about half of you getting married," I broke in. As always Fili was patient with me and quick to answer my questions.

"You're right, but many dwarves and dwarven women don't desire marriage. We grow passionate for our craft whatever it may be and we do not see a reason to marry. Take Thorin for example. He has devoted his entire life to the well-being of our people. He will be King under the mountain with any luck, but he decided long ago never to take a queen." Here Fili paused and Kili took the chance to contribute to the story.

"Which is why Fili and I are his heirs. One of us gets the lovely position of King under the mountain and at least one of us has to marry," said Kili.

Fili took this chance to take up the story. "Well, we can hope to be married. But many dwarves hope and still don't get as lucky as Gloin did."

" What do you mean, Gloin got lucky?"I asked. " And besides, couldn't one of you just have an arranged marriage if you had to?" When I mentioned arranged marriages, the two of them looked at each other with clear expressions of worry on their faces. It was Fili who finally answered me.

"Aria, no dwarf maiden has ever been forced to marry, you must have known that."

I blushed and tucked my hair behind one ear before shaking my head.

Fili took a deep breath before finishing the "lesson."

"Well that is the main reason that so few dwarves seem to marry. Unless a maiden falls in love with a dwarf and chooses him as her husband he cannot marry."

I hesitated. Dwarf maids chose their husbands? It explained why Gloin was so proud of his wife. There was just one more question I needed to ask.

"And if he says no?" I practically whispered.

My question hung in the air for a moment before Fili answered.

"If she askes and he says no, then that's that. She will never giver her heart to another person." He said almost as quietly as I had.

"Which is why Fili will marry the first maiden who asks him. He's too chivalrous to break someone heart,"said Kili, lightening the mood considerably.

"Oh, and you would break someone's heart?" I asked teasingly.

"If I wasn't in love with them, yes!And as I am currently unattached to anyone, my answer would be no." Retorted Kili.

"And I suppose that despite what you suggest, your brother's answer would be the same," I said. And though I looked to Kili my question was for Fili.

He seemed to think for a moment before answering. "Aria's right. I do agree with you Kili. If I wasn't in love, I don't think I could make another person happy, no matter how much they thought they loved me."

"And the other part?" Asked Kili. "You didn't say anything about agreeing that you weren't in love." He joked.

Oddly enough,Fili didn't answer his brother for a long time. When he finally spoke he sounded confused and absent minded.

"Yes, yes, I suppose I'm not in love… At the moment." He said. It sounded almost like a question.

My mind immediately jumped to ( what seemed to be) the most obvious conclusion. He must have fallen in love before leaving home.

And there it was again. That inexplicable feeling of jealousy. I needed to figure this out. I needed to understand why the thought of Fili in love made me upset. He was my friend, and I should be happy for him.

" I think I'll just leave the two of you to your princely marriage problems. Durin knows I've got nothing to do with them." I said in the most cheerful voice I could muster, before springing down from the tree and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Fili asked after me.

"Just over to the ponies. Call me when dinner gets here." I said.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Fili asked.

"No, thanks, I can manage," I answered. In my head, that quiet voice whispered a fervent " yes".

I walked over to where the majority of the ponies had gathered, and I walked among them patting a shaggy flank here, rubbing a muzzle there, thinking about all I had just learned. I was beginning to enjoy myself when I noticed that something was wrong.

" Hang on a moment… 1,2,3,4….12,13. Yes! Finally!" I couldn't help the excitement in my voice. The trolls had taken Daisy and Bungo. I was about to see a troll. I was unabashedly excited!

I practically skipped back to the overturned tree to find Fili and Kili now standing next to it, scrutinizing it. They were conversing in low tones until they heard my approach.

"Ah, you're back. Good. We were hoping you could help with something." Said Fili.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you suppose a storm blew down that tree?" He questioned me.

"No. I don't think so. If it was a storm we would have been caught in it at some point. Also the only uprooted trees are in this part of the forest." I said.

"We thought so as well," Kili told me.

"Odd, don't you think?" Fili asked me.

"Maybe," I replied. "But that's not the worst of our problems,"

"What's happened?" Asked Kili.

I took a deep breath before replying.

"We're two ponies short."


	12. Roast Dwarves and Slow Ponies

Chapter 12

A moment of silence passed between the three of us after my announcement.

"Are you sure? It is quite dark out here, you could have missed something," Kili said apprehensively.

The two brothers turned and walked over towards the ponies and stood staring at them. I crossed my arms and leaned my back against a nearby tree.

"I know what I saw, two of them are most definitely gone," I proclaimed.

"When did this happen? We've been with them practically the entire evening," said Fili, completely perplexed.

"Do you know which two?" asked Kili suddenly.

"Haven't the foggiest" I quipped.

Another long silence pervaded the clearing. I was sure that Fili and Kili had similar thoughts. Where have the ponies gone to? How long have they been gone? How is Thorin going to take this news?

My thoughts were occupied in a somewhat different manner. Until now I had imagined the trolls to be three slightly dangerous but comic characters. Now my mind seemed to be changing. I looked nervously over to the tree upon which we had been sitting. Somewhere close by, there were three creatures big enough to uproot a tree like that. I looked over at the remaining 14 ponies and realized that it would take at least 4 dwarves to lift one of them off of the ground, and even then they would drop it after it started to struggle.

A troll, on the other hand, could successfully carry off two ponies at a time. I gulped as I felt nervousness rising up inside me. Oh great. Once again I had displayed the judgment of an idiot. If I had learned one thing thus far, it was that everything was different from this side of the story.

Our silence was interrupted by Bilbo's arrival with dinner. He walked over to stand between Fili and Kili and offered them each a bowl. I grinned to see that both brothers didn't even seem to notice.

It was the first time I had ever seen a dwarf refuse food. I had to bite my lip not to laugh out loud when I realized this. Bilbo looked at each brother quizzically.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"We're supposed to be looking out for the ponies," said Kili.

"Only we've encountered a slight problem."added Fili.

"We had sixteen," Kili explained.

"Now there's fourteen." Fili finished.

Fili and Kili then split up, Bilbo following closed behind Kili.

I'm going to find out who's gone," Kili called to Fili.

Fili looked over at me and said quietly, "stay here a moment." Then he too left. Walking towards the felled trees. When he had been gone a while, I decided to check on the remaining fourteen ponies. After all, they must have been frantic after the encounter with the troll who took Daisy and Bungo. What? I know that I told Kili I hadn't the foggiest idea which ponies had been taken, but I knew he had to find that out for himself. If he didn't, the story wouldn't play out as it should.

I thought I was becoming quite good at the whole script following thing, but as I write this, all I can think about is naïve I was.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The walk to the ponies wasn't long or hard, and when I got to them, I saw Kili reviewing each one carefully.

He finally stepped back and sweeping his eyes one more across the clearing he said

"Son of an orc, my pony's gone!"

"What?"

"So is Flora!" he finished.

"She isn't, that's her right there," I said, pointing out the little dun mare.

"Then who-"

"Bungo, I don't see him anywhere," I said quickly.

"You're right, I can't make him out." Kili agreed.

"Fili isn't going to be happy, should I go tell him?" I asked.

"No, I should do it. Stay here and look after them. Keep low, and if anything else happens, come and find us." he said.

I nodded my head, and we parted ways. As he strode off I could see Bilbo, still holding the bowls, came following behind him. I could hear his voice as he walked off.

"Daisy and Bungo are missing," he said.

Then I heard no more. But I did feel something. Underneath my feet and reverberating up into the soles of my shoes came the sound of a great pair of feet. They lumbered nearer to me and the sound and the trembling of the earth grew.

I knew that it could only be one of the three trolls and, unsure of what to do, I found my pony, Minty, and hid behind her. I wove my hands into her mane, subconsciously beginning to weave a braid into it in an attempt to calm myself down.

"This will pass, you will be fine," I whispered as much to myself as to Minty.

And then through the trees lopped the ugliest creature I had ever laid eyes upon. As I peered over Minty's back, I could see the huge shape of the troll. He was huge and had a bulbous nose a protruding gut with skin that, even in the dim light, I could tell was covered with boils and pustules. He smelled absolutely horrible. Something reminiscent of old eggs and bad milk left in a stable to rot.

To make matters worse, he was coming straight towards me. I was frozen. I didn't know what to do. If I moved then he would see me and catch me, but if I stayed here?

And then he was upon us. I ducked down closer in hopes of not being noticed. An arm the size of a size of a small tree trunk reached down and came so close to my face that I could have touched it with my tongue if I'd had a mind to. My eyes stared horrified at the thing as it snaked its way around Minty's belly and made to pick her up. I thought for a moment that it would leave me without notice.

Then I turned my head and saw the hood of my red cape, which had been resting haphazardly on my right shoulder, hooked around one of the troll's fingers.

I saw the muscles in its forearm tense for just a moment, and then I was lifted into the air. My hands flew to my neck as I swung helplessly. I couldn't breathe! Couldn't even gasp for air, I just hung scratching at my neck and the clasp of my cloak, praying it would break or snap. It was choking me and I couldn't think straight anymore. My face felt hot and tight and then we started to move. If I hadn't been constricted by my cloak I would have cried out in pain. I couldn't handle this for much longer. My vision was going black and my hands becoming more feeble. I dangled by the hood growing more and more tired as the troll took step by lumbering agonizing step.

Then he was crouching to the ground again. To pick up another pony I thought foggily. And then my feet were on the firm ground and with the lessened pressure, I was able to undo the clasp from my neck. The flash of red as the cloak fluttered from his finger is all I remember before blacking out.

The sensation of tickling against my face brought me back to consciousness. I opened my eyes blearily to see Poppy, Gandalf's horse, sniffing my face worriedly. I reached up weakly to rub her muzzle, before gently pushing it away, so I could sit up. I immediately regretted that decision. As soon as I sat up, my head began to spin and ache terribly. My throat felt raw and stretched and it hurt to turn my head, even slightly. This had to be worse than any a sore throat I had ever been victim to in my life. I reached up to feel my throat, hoping to massage some of the pain away, but instead found it covered in ridges and small scabs from where I had tried scratching the clasp open.

I looked blearily around, rotating my entire body so as to avoid moving my neck. Despite my efforts, I still winced at every movement. I tried to collect my thoughts. Tried to figure out my situation.

What exactly was going on?

I stood, slowly, shakily, and painfully, with the help of Poppy who hadn't moved far. I laced my fingers through her mane and as she raised her neck, I was able to haul myself to my feet. I caught sight of my cloak lying limp on the ground a few feet away from me and I walked slowly and carefully over to it and picked it up. Bending over hurt and I had to grit my teeth against the aching sensation.

I fastened the clasp back around my shoulders, and though it had betrayed me, I still felt comfort at its bright color wrapped around me. I felt clarity returning to my thoughts and settling them back into place. Fili, Kili, and Bilbo had just found the light. They were investigating it somewhere back in the woods behind me.

I should probably go tell them what happened. Yes, that was a good idea. Report back to Fili and Kili. Or camp? Should I tell Thorin what was going on? That seemed like a better idea. I should do that. And I did. I climbed shakily onto Poppy's back, laced my fingers once more through her mane,and she walked slowly through the trees. It was uncomfortable and my neck protested at every step she took, but I figured that if I were on horseback, I couldn't stop to indulge my pain.

I rode through the rocky outcropping that separated the clearing from our camp. I was momentarily confused, for I didn't see any movement. I gave Poppy a gentle nudge with my heel and she sped up. When she halted at the campsite, the fire was out, and the pot was cold to the touch. I hurried over to the ruined hut, hand braced against my neck, and peered inside it. Five or six bedrolls lay rumpled and open on the ground.

They had already left to battle the trolls! I was a fool. A fool who had been knocked out for much longer than I had expected.

I guided Poppy to a small boulder and mounted her. The pain in my neck was noticeably less intense as I did so.

"At least we don't-" I choked out.

"At least-" My voice was gone! Well nearly gone. I would try to speak, and a voice that I could best describe as a rusty door hinge came forth.

"Well this is just great," I whisper-rasped.

I urged Poppy forward into the woods, but when we came to the uprooted trees, we bore right. I didn't want to walk straight into the center of the troll's encampment. She was incredibly quiet as we neared the camp.

I was proud of Poppy's self-control, but I quickly realized that it wouldn't matter how much noise she made. I could run singing through the forest and still go unnoticed. How? Well, the din and ruckus coming from that camp was enough to mask the footsteps of an army!

As we reached the edge of the trees, I could see into the camp. The dwarves weapons lay only a few feet in front of Poppy's hooves, and a few feet beyond the weapons lay the dwarves themselves. They were cocooned in burlap sacs that covered them from foot to neck. They were piled in a heap, and they all seemed to be yelling at their captors.

"Serves you right for insulting my cooking," I whisper-rasped in good humor. No one heard me, of course. I watched as the noise slowly began to die, and my traveling companions realized that struggling was futile. Then, in the hush, I could hear the trolls arguing.

"No, you cross the two poles then you tie them, I'm sure of it!" said William.

"No, you tie it, then cross the two poles together, idiot!" grumbled Tom.

"You're both thick 'eads. You tie the poles at the same time," came Burt's voice.

I craned my neck (again, bad idea) to see what they could possibly be arguing about. As it turned out, they were trying to construct a spit on which to roast the dwarves. As I watched them, they somehow managed to erect a rickety rotisserie type structure, and then, one by one began tying dwarves to it.

Grave as our situation was, I couldn't help laughing when they attempted to tie Bombur to the thing. They must have spent five minutes arguing over whether it was better to leave him there, or replace him with a smaller dwarf. I started to laugh at their total idiocy but halted when my throat began to protest.

I waited and watched as the remainder of the dwarves were either tossed into a pile or tied to the rotisserie. As the dwarves yelled a variety of colorful insults at their captors I noticed Thorin, sitting propped up against a rock at the back of the dwarf heap, looking utterly contemptuous.

"They're going to eat us, Uncle, what do we do?" I heard Kili ask.

"There's nothing we can do. The wizard and that disloyal faithless dwarf maid have left us here to die!" he spat.

"You can't mean that! She's done nothing to betray our trust," retorted Fili from somewhere in the pile.

"Hasn't she?" was all the reply Thorin gave before returning to his brooding silence.

"No, she has not," I assured the woods around me in a low voice. The rasp in my voice had receded to a huskiness that lent a dark tone to it. I hadn't done anything to betray the trust of the company, nor did I plan to. I stirred Poppy into motion, and we backed off into the woods. We made our way through the trees to the area of the camp that was watched over by a large boulder. I scanned the woods around us frantically, searching for Gandalf. The wizard should have been here.

I looked up to see that the sky had lightened a shade. The night was waning fast and dawn would soon be upon us.

So where then was Gandalf?

I observed then that I had two choices. I could wait for the wizard and hope for his speedy arrival, or I could search for him myself. The first choice would leave me in suspense and the second would leave me in pain. I reached up to feel the scratches on my neck. I would take pain over suspense any day of the week.

"Let's go, Poppy," I urged.

The horse began to amble through the woods in the direction that Gandalf had taken. I nudged the horse with both my heels, and she ambled at an ever so slightly faster pace. We reached the edge of the woods at this pace and found ourselves on an open highland. It was dotted with rocky outcroppings and all manner of sturdy grasses.

"Okay Poppy, we can go a little faster now," I said. Her pace didn't waver. I nudged her with my heels again. No response.

I looked up at the sky to see that it had lightened yet another shade. I could have walked faster than Poppy was carrying me, but I was unsure of how to make her go faster. In the end, I resorted to pleading with her.

"Look, I know you don't understand me, but I really need you to go faster. Please, Poppy, I'm begging you!... Something tells me this isn't working." Poppy tossed her mane in my face by way of a response and ambled out onto the moor.

It was then that an idea struck me. It just might work if I could pull off.

I leaned into her neck and whispered a few words of urgency near her ear.

Nothing.

I tried again, this time, I thought of the elves. Their, grace, their, power, and their speech. The way you felt when you listened to one talk. And then the words came to my mind, and with a shiver up my spine, I spoke them aloud.

Their effect on Poppy was instantaneous. She seemed alert, her ears pricked, her muzzle in the air. I spoke the words once more, urging her forward, and she was off.

The pain in my neck ceased to bother me as we galloped across the moor. My hair flew out behind me, tossed back by the wind and the speed. I felt the crisp wind of early morning in the highlands kissing my cheeks and the tip of my nose until I knew they must be blush red.

Now that we were finally moving, I had to find Gandalf.

I had grown more accustomed to the rhythm of riding in my time with the company, but I still found myself grasping her mane for dear life as her hoofbeats reverberated through my body. My eyes searched the lightening horizon frantically for the wizard, or for any sign of movement. Though the rocky landscape flew by, I could tell I had been hunting for longer than I should. I was becoming worried and impatient when I saw movement near an outcropping of boulders off to my left.

I adjusted my grip on Poppy's mane, and she banked to the left. We approached the outcropping, slowing to a trot as we neared it. I saw, to my vast relief, that the movement had been Gandalf! The wizard noticed us and raised his staff in a defensive position, but lowered it as we neared. Poppy tossed her head as I brought her to a stop. I slid off of her landing heavily on the ground. A sharp pain jolted through my throat, reminding me of my ordeal. The wizard hurried the rest of the distance to us and began to calm Poppy, who was raking the ground nervously with her hoof.

"What is the matter? Tell me," he ordered in a stern voice.

"We-" I squeaked.

I cleared my throat. I didn't have time for losing my voice! I started over. Being careful to speak slowly and deliberately.

I explained what had happened after he left. The ponies going missing, to my own run in with the troll.

"And now the three trolls have the company held hostage, and when I left, they were planning to eat them!" I finished.

"Then we must return with all haste," said the wizard.

He vaulted easily onto the horse before extending a hand to me. I took it and was lifted onto Poppy's back. I had barely touched her when we began to move. The urgency of the situation was palpable, and I felt adrenaline racing through me as we galloped, this time with a purpose, back over the moor. The treeline came into view, and before long we were slowing our pace to accommodate the closeness of the trees. We had just reached the treeline when Poppy abruptly came to a stop.

"What are we doing?" I asked, more worried than confused.

"We will carry on, on foot. Trolls may be dull but they have exceptional hearing. A horse makes for a noisy approach, and that is a risk we cannot afford." Gandalf replied hastily.

I nodded by way of response and slid off. Poppy followed at a distance behind us as we made our way through the woods. At length, I heard the sounds of complaining coming from nearby and knew that we had nearly reached the clearing.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Take on someone your own size!"

And, "Untie us you monsters!" were the most audible calls.

We reached the clearing before long, and I ducked into the underbrush, while Gandalf stood behind a tree.

"What do we do?" I hissed.

"As of yet, I don't know. Dwarves have a bad habit of getting themselves into unnecessary trouble. Count them, there should be fourteen, including Bilbo." replied the wizard.

I pretended to do as he asked, but in reality, I knew they were all there.

"Everyone's accounted for," I whispered. "Do you have a plan?"

"None yet," said the wizard.

I turned my head and rolled my eyes.

I looked back to the wizard and said "What about sunlight? Don't trolls turn to stone in sunlight?"

"They do, but the sun is not yet high enough, and won't be for a while. Despite the best efforts of our burglar, we are running out of time." He said.

There was a pause, in which we both turned our attention back to what was going on in the clearing.

"Unless," said the wizard before hurrying away into the woods. I knew where he was going and I didn't plan on following. I didn't intend to be anywhere near that rock when it split in half.

"Uh, the-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-" I heard Bilbo falter.

I turned my attention back to the trolls.

"Yes? Come on." said one of the trolls, Bert, I thought.

"It's, uh-" the hobbit hesitated.

"Tell us the secret." ordered Bert.

"Ye-yes, I'm telling you, the secret is … to skin them first!" the hobbit finished in triumph.

There was an uproar of protest from the dwarves that I found quite amusing.

"Tom, get me the filleting knife." said Bert, who seemed to agree with Bilbo.

"If I get you, you little-" and "I won't forget that!" were just a few of the protests to this statement.

Tom the troll seemed to have a different opinion from his companion.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all." he said.

Bilbo suddenly seemed distracted, looking off into the woods. I knew then that he had seen Gandalf. I smiled. Everything was going according to plan.

"he's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy." said William, the third troll.

William proceeded to grab Bombur, who was still on the ground in a sack, and dangle him above his mouth. He was beginning to lower the dwarf into his mouth when Bilbo called out

"Not-not that one, he-he's infected!"

"You what?" asked Tom.

"Yeah, He's got worms in his … tubes." said the hobbit, grasping at straws.

William threw Bombur back into the pile of Dwarves with a look of disgust.

Bilbo didn't miss a beat and continued "In-in fact they all have, they're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't."

"Parasites, did he say parasites?" asked Oin, who seemed to have lost his ear trumpet. Kili who was outraged started to nod at him before yelling "He sai- We don't have parasites! You have parasites!"

I laughed aloud and had to cover my mouth with my hands.

Only one of the dwarves seemed to pick up on Bilbo's plan. I saw thorin shove Kili and Oin from where he was lying. The entire group of dwarves fell to a hushed silence and looked at Thorin.

Oin seemed to be the first to finally comprehend the situation. "I've got parasites as big as my arm." he bragged.

Kili, who was not to be outdone, yelled: "Mine are the biggest parasites, I've got huge parasites!"

"We're riddled." "Yes, I'm riddled." "Yes, we are. Badly!" chimed in the others.

"What would you have us do, then, let 'em all go?" scoffed Tom.

"Well..." shrugged Bilbo as if to say that, yes, he should let them all go.

"You think I don't know what you're up to? This little ferret is taking us for fools!" said Tom to his companion.

"Ferret?" asked Bilbo.

"Fools?" asked Bert.

Then, Gandalf appeared (right on cue) on top of the boulder above the clearing.

"The dawn will take you all!" he proclaimed.

"Who's that?" asked Bert.

"No idea." said Tom.

"Can we eat `im too?" William wanted to know.

The wizard stepped aside and struck the boulder with his staff. A vast fischer ran the length of the boulder before, with a monumental crack, it split down the middle flooding the clearing with blinding sunlight.

The three trolls shrieked and moaned as the sunlight touched them. Their skin faded to gray, and though they tried to fight it, they were slowly frozen into position. Dead, and preserved forever in stone.

As soon as it was clear that the trolls had gone to meet their maker, (whoever that was),the dwarves began to cheer and whoop. The jubilation didn't last long because now that the dwarves knew they weren't going to be troll food, they had time to concentrate on other things. Other things here meaning how very uncomfortable being tied to a rotisserie was!

This, I thought, was a good time to step in. I remembered the deep scratches on my neck, but they only hurt when I touched them, so I wasn't overly worried. I stepped out into the clearing. The dwarves, who were now in the midst of several heated arguments, didn't seem to notice me approaching the fire but Bilbo, who was standing in awe of the frozen trolls, did see me.

He hurried over to me and I smiled in relief that they were all unharmed.

"You're alright! I'd nearly given you up. We left you with the ponies and when we saw that one take Myrtle and Minty, I was sure he'd gotten you too, but there wasn't time to say anything. By the way, would you happen to know the what the hoot of a brown owl sounds like?"

"The hoot of a brown owl? No. Why?" I said, pretending to be confused by the question.

"Because Fili told me to- hang on a moment, what's the matter with your voice? What's happened to your neck?!" said Bilbo, who had noticed the scratch marks on my neck.

"Just what you said actually. I had a run in with one of the trolls," I shrugged. My voice was still scratchy, but I could speak unbroken again.

"Do you need medical attention?" asked the hobbit.

"No, I think I'll be fine," I said, touching the marks on my neck lightly.

"And you're sure tha-" Bilbo started but was cut out.

"Will you two stop runnin' yer mouths and get us down!" yelled Gloin.

I snapped my head round to face him, wincing as it sent a twinge of pain through my neck.

"We're going to need help with this, where's Gandalf?" I asked.

"Don't know. He slipped off into the woods right after he split the boulder," said Bilbo.

"Right, then we'll just have to do it ourselves. Can you find some water? We need to put out that fire soon or they'll be crisped," I said.

"Yes, that's a good idea. And what are you going to do?" he asked.

"Free that lot," I said, pointing at the dwarves on the ground.

"A, right, would you mind getting me too? Asked the hobbit.

I looked at him, momentarily confused, before realizing that he too was in a sack up to his neck. I found the cord that fastened the sack about his neck, and drawing my dagger, I cut it, letting the thing fall about his big feet.

"Thank you, that was quite unpleasant," he said. He stretched his arms over his head and walked away, presumably to find water.

I jogged over to where six of the company still lay tied up. Thorin, Fili, Kili, Oin, Balin, and Bombur were having as much luck at freeing themselves as their companions on the rotisserie, so I had little choice but to help them. When I reached the pile, I knelt down next to Bombur who was closest to me, and put my hand on his shoulder. He stopped yelling at his brother, who was complaining about being half burned on the rotisserie, and looked at me.

"If you let me cut you loose, you can go over there and yell at him," I said calmly.

"Do what you will, but I please try not to cut my beard," he said, resigned.

I found the cord around his neck and sliced through it with my dagger. The sack fell away from Bombur's vast neck and he stuck his arms out the top. I proceeded to help him to his feet (a long and arduous task) and watched as he walked right over to the rotisserie and continued to argue with his brother.

I rolled my eyes, amused, and whispered "dwarves" under my breath.

I walked to the opposite end of the pile and helped Balin free of his burlap prison, before handing my dagger to him so he could do the same for Thorin.

I would have felt uncomfortable being that close to someone who mistrusted my so very much.

"Balin helped Thorin to his feet, and he turned to stare down at me.

"And where were you all of this time?" Thorin asked me coldly.

"I went to find Gandalf," I mumbled.

"A likely story. Gone this whole time? And with no clue where the wizard had gone." he was accusing me! Of what I didn't know, but my old instincts kicked in and I bowed my head in silence as he passed me. Balin gave me a sad smile before handing my dagger back to me and following Thorin.

"Lassie, would ya mind helping me out of this thing?" Oin asked from the ground.

"Of course, I'm sorry," I said, and hurried over to where he lay on the ground. I cut Oin loose from his sack and helped him to stand.

"I'm also very sorry about last night," I added.

"As well you should be. I never want to hear my brother talk about his wife for that long ever again," Oin chuckled before patting my good-naturedly on the shoulder and going off to help the others down.

"Alright, me next. I didn't realize how foul this thing smelt until just now," complained Kili from behind me.

"Right away your highness," said sarcastically, before turning and kneeling to help him. I noticed that it was far easier to find the loop of cord around his neck than for the other dwarves. I attributed this to his lack of facial hair. I slashed through the thick rope and then stood to help him to his feet. Kili took the hand I offered him and was just about to say something when he paused, his brow knitting together in worry.

"What's happened to you?" he asked.

"I stepped around him to go untie Fili, saying " After you left me with the ponies, one of the trolls came back."

I reached Fili, who had sat up. I gestured to the knot of rope around his neck with my dagger. "May I?" I asked.

"You won't see me complaining," he said.

I knelt by his side and cut the rope. Fili shrugged the sack off of his shoulders and gently took my free hand in his. We stood, and he took my other hand, the one holding the hilt of the dagger. He looked at me for what felt like an age before saying

"Aria, whatever happened, you're still alive. Just do me a favor. The next time you're in a situation like that, you use this." and he dropped both of my hands taking the dagger.

"Yes, and if you want to survive that situation, get a sword. Or better yet just shout for one of us," Kili joked.

I giggled. Again, this alarmed me and I shut up. Fili didn't seem as amused as his brother had been, but he didn't seem quite as worried.

"We had better help the others," said Kili, and he put his arm around his brother's shoulder. They had begun to walk off when Fili turned back to me.

"You know Kili's right. We should probably get you a sword," he said thoughtfully.

I smiled. "Or I could just shout for one of you."

As they walked away, all I could think of was Fili's eyes.

Had they always been that blue?

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this last chapter! I would love to know your opinions and thoughts about it!


	13. Wargs on the moor

**Chapter 13**

The early morning passed uneventfully, and there is little of it that I recall, save for Kili and I succeeding in climbing one of the stone trolls before breakfast, and my finally getting the chance to slip away from the group and change.

My new tunic was a rich yellow with an intricate diamond accent sewn into the collar. The trousers that went with it, were an earthy green with stitching in a darker shade of the same color running up the seams. They were soft as silk, and it felt wonderful to be wearing clean clothing again.

After changing, I wandered back towards the noises of the dwarves, now accompanied by echoes that could only mean they had found the cave. I passed once more through the abandoned troll camp, grinning at the stone trolls in triumph.

I thought over the events of that night, the close call with my cape, the ride over the moor, finding Gandalf. And I realized that throughout it all, I had forgotten the company would make it out of there alive. I forgot the rest of their story in those minutes. I had felt a deep-seated fear, unlike anything I had felt before. I feared for the life of someone other than myself. And it was terrible.

Maybe it was these thoughts that brought on the vision. Before that day the scenes had only haunted my dreams, but this time I was awake, and standing on my feet.

The woods in front of me changed. They appeared younger, and stronger, bathed in that same light that I had seen in my dreams, and blowing in a breeze that whispered of truth. I knew what was happening but I prayed that it would stop. I didn't want to face the possibility of reliving the tragedy of those dreams. I didn't need another reminder of why I was here.

The only landmark in the area seemed to be a circle marked in red on one of the trees about two and a half feet from the forest floor. I wondered what it could possibly be, but a moment later my question was answered. An arrow sped through the air, missing what I now knew to be a target, and lodging itself in the earth nearby.

I turned to see who the archer had been but saw only the troll's camp behind me. I turned back to see that the woods in front of me were still illuminated with that dreamy brilliance that now seemed to fade into twilight. The only other difference being that the woods were now occupied by a girl. Four maybe five years old with dark wavy hair, and clad richly in a deep blue dress. She held in her hand a small bow, and over her shoulder swung a little quiver containing two arrows.

She walked to the spot where her shaft had fallen, bent, and picked it up. She held it in her hand for a for a moment before throwing it along with the bow and quiver onto the ground. She groaned in annoyance and turning to face me, slumped into a sitting position against the base of the nearest tree.

I looked at her face and it was a moment before I realized who she was. Younger though she might be, the delicate features and Durin blue eyes could only belong to Ella.

"Can I come in?" said Kili's voice from behind me.

I looked back once more, but Kili wasn't there. So, he too was a part of the vision.

Ella looked up when she heard his voice, still defeated.

"We're in the woods, addâ," she replied sulkily.

"So we are. Which reminds me, why are you still out here?" asked Kili.

He appeared, stepping out from behind me and walking over to Ella. He picked up her bow and replaced the third arrow in the quiver before slinging them over his back. He held out his hand for Ella to take but she just crossed her arms.

"I haven't hit the target once. I'm no good," she mumbled.

"I'd be worried if you were good El, we gave you that bow this morning. Come on, you've been out here all day. Time for bed," Kili said to her.

She looked up at him.

" Am I ever going to be as good as you or mama?"

"You'll be better. Tell you what, I'll take tomorrow off and we can spend the whole day practicing."

"Really?" asked Ella, her face lighting up.

"I promise," Kili said.

Then she took his hand and he picked her up. As Kili turned to walk away, I saw him. His clothes were finer and a silver circlet rested on his brow. But the real change was in his face. He looked at his little daughter and I could see that to him, she was the most precious thing in the world. Ella's head fell to his shoulder and they walked past me through the trees.

"Aria?" I heard my name and my head snapped round. Fili was walking towards me through the woods. "Thorin says we're leaving," he called.

I looked back into the forest where Ella and Kili had been and saw nothing but the woods where I now was.

Fili reached me and said, "Aria, did you hear me?"

"What?" I said, turning to him.

"Thorin says- oh, what's wrong?" he said, his tone changing midway to one of worry.

"Nothing's wrong, why do you ask?" I said, sniffing as I finished. It was then that I realized my cheeks were wet with tears.

"Oh," I said and turned away to wipe my cheeks with my sleeves. "My throat's still really sore," I answered.

I don't remember what I expected him to say in return.

"Aria, why were you crying? Really, sore throats make you uncomfortable and irritable but they don't make you cry. What happened?" He asked.

Just like the Green Dragon, he had seen right through me. And I didn't have an answer for him.

"I'm sorry, I can't say," I said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, you'd think I'm mad," I laughed nervously.

"There is nothing that you could say to make me think you madder than I already do," he said.

"You think I'm mad?" I asked jokingly, sniffing again.

"I can give you one word. Philip," he said pointedly.

"Oh, come on, you aren't still on about that, are you?" I rolled my eyes jokingly.

"I'm convinced you made that name up I've never heard anything like it in my life." he teased.

We began to walk towards the cave.

"Oh, that's it then? I say one thing that you think is strange and now I'm mad?" I pretended to take offence but ended up laughing instead.

"Well you did try to poison us all last night," he countered.

"That's true," I agreed.

The look on Fili's face grew sober.

"And then you saved us," he said.

"Don't be foolish, Gandalf saved you. I had nothing to do with it," I said.

"How far away from us was he when you found him?" Fili asked.

"What makes you think I-"

"Aria," he stopped me.

"A hard ride east of us on the moor. And he was on foot," I conceded.

"Thought so. I heard Thorin ask him how he'd found us, and do you know what he said brought him back?" he asked.

"No, what did he say?" I asked. I knew, but I asked anyway.

"Looking behind," said Fili. "Of course, that isn't denying you found him, but even wizards age and I guarantee Kili and I have twice his eyesight each," he added.

"In his defence, wizards are always saying cryptic things like that," I said. Was he defending me again?

 _It feels good to have friends like this,_ I mused to myself. Friends. As soon as the thought entered my mind, it began to echo.

I hadn't really thought of them in that way before. I hadn't really thought of him that way before.

My hand slowly reached up to my face and tucked my hair behind my right ear.

"You know you don't have to do that so often, your hair looks-"

"Something's coming!" Thorin's voice cut Fili off.

He didn't hesitate to run to his uncle's aid, and I followed. What had just? did he just?did he notice? I was mortified. And blushing. Great, now I could feel the heat in my cheeks, and I was blushing.

I ran after him, rounding a large rock formation and coming to the entrance of the cave. I spotted Bilbo standing there looking as bemused as I was.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked hurriedly.

"No," the hobbit shook his head. "There's something coming through the trees and...we'd better go, hadn't we?" he finished, still looking flustered.

We joined the company with all haste, and everyone in the clearing, expecting myself, had a weapon drawn and ready.

The branches and twigs cracked with increasing intensity and in the next few seconds the dwarves had tensed and readied for whatever was about to come through those trees. Eight rabbits the size of dogs crashed through the undergrowth, and in their wake, they drew a sled. Aboard it, in all his spectacular eccentricities, was Radagast the brown.

As soon as he was close enough, he bellowed "Thieves, fire, murder!"

I stumbled backwards. The sled had stopped right in front of me, and the two lead rabbits were blinking at me quizzically.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?" exclaimed Gandalf.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong." said Radagast darkly.

"Yes?" asked Gandalf slowly. It was plain to see that he was hesitant to believe Radagast's words.

Radagast opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. He opened it once more but was unable to find the words he was looking for.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." Radagast babbled.

I bit my lip to stop from laughing.

Fili looked over at me as if to say _what has this one been smoking?_

I just stopped trying to hide my grin of amusement and focused on trying not to laugh aloud.

"Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old..."

Here I saw Gandalf pull the offending insect out of Radagast's mouth and hand it to him.

"-stick insect." Radagast finished.

I couldn't handle this so I clapped one hand over my mouth to keep my laughter from becoming too loud.

Fili looked over and gave me a half smile, but it was obvious that he was in much better control of his emotions than I was.

The two wizards withdrew some paces to converse in private, leaving the rest of us to mill around the clearing and wait for them to finish.

I found myself standing in a group that comprised of Bilbo, Fili, Kili, and Balin. All of whom had ideas of what was amiss. They swapped ideas but I was distracted. I crossed my arms in worry, and every few seconds, I would glance up and sweep my gaze around the clearing. I knew this story too well to forget what was coming, and all I could do was wish that I had run cross country back home. I wasn't a fast runner, and that was about to bite me.

"Earth to Aria, I asked if you think this has something to do with Smaug and the mountain," said Kili, calling me back to the present.

I shook my head. "If this had something to do with the dragon, Thorin would be talking with them."

Bilbo nodded his agreement.

"I suppose you're right, can you guess what it might be?" Kili asked me.

I looked at him, and all I could think of was the vision I'd had. I could already see the quest changing Kili, but it still seemed strange to think that he could be a father.

"Are you alright?" Kili quarried when I failed to give him an answer.

"Yeah, just didn't get much sleep last night. Guess I'm tired," I said, throwing another glance around the clearing.

Just then, a blood-curdling howl echoed through the woods. My heart leapt into my throat. It was happening.

"Was that a wolf? A- are there wolves out there?" asked Bilbo.

"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf." Bofur, who had come to stand in front of us, said. A tone of dread pervaded his voice, and once more, I felt the mood in the clearing change.

I had forgotten how quickly it happened. A growling from the tree line, the snap of a twig, and the enormous beast bounded down into the clearing and pounced on Dori.

Thorin dispatched it with a well-aimed stroke of his sword, and just in time too, for another of the hideous creatures leapt through the trees. In the blink of an eye, Kili had shot it and Dwalin dispatched it with a blow from his broad sword.

"Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind." Thorin boomed.

"Orc pack?" asked Bilbo, the light of fear shining from his eyes.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf demanded.

"No one," Thorin assured him grimly.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf persisted. And he turned to glance at me.

My eyes widened with comprehension. How had I known? I didn't think I'd

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" asked Thorin, with a level of tension in his voice that I had yet to hear.

"You are being hunted," Gandalf confirmed our worst fears with a single sentence.

"We have to get out of here." Dwalin broke in.

Just then, Ori appeared on a ledge above the clearing.

"We can't! We have no ponies; they bolted!" he called.

"I'll draw them off." offered Radagast, who had remained silent until this point.

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you," Gandalf warned.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try." persisted Radagast.

Gandalf nodded his ascent , Radagast hopped on his sled, and he was off.

"Follow me, all of you, don't fall behind," I heard Gandalf say.

The company began to move, but I stood still, looking back up towards the trees.

"Aria! Come on, we need to go now," called Fili before running back to me.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

I looked at him in worry.

"Minty, my pony, they'll eat her," I said. That pony had carried me so far and I didn't want to repay her by letting her become warg chow!

"You know what else they'll eat?" he asked, exasperated.

"What?" I queried.

"You, if we don't move now!" was his quick reply.

"But-"

"We don't have time for this," he said before grasping my hand and running.

I came to my senses and picked up the pace. We caught the group more quickly than I had anticipated and I found to my surprise that I was one of the quicker runners in the group. I had to remind myself that nearly all of them were over one hundred years old and unaccustomed to running.

The howling rang through the trees behind us and before I could turn, Fili called, "don't look back!"

The company stopped behind an outcropping of rocks as Radagast's sled emerged from the woods pursued by several wargs. I closed my eyes, hoping for the world to stop spinning.

I felt nauseous, so I braced myself against a boulder. I felt the stone beneath my fingers. Cool and strong. Just as it had that night on the cliffside, the stone gave my peace, and I felt the nausea lessen. Just in time too, for a moment later we were moving again.

Running along the outcroppings of rock, staying as concealed as possible. It was then that I recognized the landscape. I had come the very same way that morning on my hunt for Gandalf. I knew where he was leading us, but In that moment I knew where he had been. When I found him, he must have been ensuring that the hidden pass was still open. Though he had not known the wargs would come, this had been his plan all along.

We stopped briefly and I heard Gandalf order us to stick together before we resumed our flight.

We hadn't gone far before I noticed that if we continued in this direction, we would be seen. Thorin seemed to notice this as well for he halted the company. Ori, who was obviously running on nerves kept going.

"Ori, no! Come back!" Thorin shouted, pulling the younger dwarf back by his haversack.

After a moment Gandalf called "Come on, quick!"

I ran, but as I left the outcropping, I heard Thorin saying "Where are you leading us?"

The wizard made no reply that I could hear but followed behind us.

Shortly afterwards, we stopped behind another formation.

Radagast was leading the wargs on a merry chase about the moors but it seemed that, once again, he had led them too close. I was breathing hard, and my feet were beginning to hurt from all of the running. I looked around to see that my sentiments were shared by my traveling companions.

"You know I can run on my own now, let go of my hand," I said to Fili in a sore attempt to lighten the mood.

"What? Oh, I hadn't realized...sorry," he said between gasps for air.

He let go of my hand, and for an inexplicable moment, I wished he hadn't.

In the absence of voices, a new sound could be heard. The hoarse and ragged breathing of one of those hellish wargs. Thorin had noticed as well, for I saw him give Kili a meaningful glance from where they were standing.

Kili didn't hesitate to draw and notch an arrow to his bow. I saw him take in one deep, nervous breath and step out of hiding.

His arrow found a mark, but it took another to bring the beast down from above us.

It still refused to die, growling and moaning, so Dwalin and Bifur set about both it and it's rider with their heavy weapons. They succeeded in killing the beast, but not before it had made enough noise to draw the attention of its entire pack. A smattering of howls cursed the morning air with their tones, and I knew we had been discovered.

"Move. Run!" Was Gandalf's call. We obeyed without hesitation and despite what had been said, Fili took my hand again as we left the relative safety of the outcropping. I was glad of it, for I was no long distance runner and I wanted to make it to dinner without becoming dinner.

The wargs kept up a relentless chase, gaining on us with every passing moment. And then they were in sight of us.

"There they are!" shouted someone as the beasts became visible.

"This way, quickly!" shouted Gandalf from the front of the group.

My heart was beating out of my chest as we ran, and ran, and ran.

And then they were in front of Thorin. We stopped, spread out, looking for an escape.

"There's more coming!" shouted Kili from Thorin's right.

Thorin spun in a circle, desperately searching for a way out. "Kili, shoot them!" he finally yelled.

I was busy with something else. I knew this place. This is where I had found Gandalf. I saw the wizard slipping down behind a nearby boulder, and ran to the outcropping. Seeing a slide of sorts leading into the tunnel, I climbed in and slid to the bottom.

"That's one. Fourteen to go. Where are the others?" Gandalf asked.

"I don't think they saw you go," I panted.

Gandalf climbed swiftly and gracefully back to the mouth of the cave. I heard him yell "This way, you fools!"

Then he was back down beside me.

"It would be best, I think, for you to move," Gandalf said.

I looked around. I was sitting directly in the middle of the cave.

I nodded, stood, and moved to the back of the aperture.

And then they came sliding down one by one, Gandalf counting as they did so.

At length Fili, Kili, and then Thorin joined us in the cave.

Just as Thorin reached the bottom, a great horn sounded and the sounds of hoofbeats and flying arrows filled the moors. An orc was shot and rolled down the shaft, coming to rest at Thorin's feet. He bent down to examine it, pulling an arrow from its skull.

"Elves," he said distastefully, throwing the arrow head to the ground.

In the meantime, Dwalin had found the passage.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" he asked.

"Follow it of course!" offered Bofur, and we began down the passage. As I turned the first corner, I could have sworn I heard Gandalf say " I think that would be wise."

The tunnel led us along a winding path, and there was little talking as we traveled. I felt my heartbeat decline, falling once more into its own steady rhythm. The fear of the morning passed and I was able to enjoy the winding underpass. I thought to myself that it was a lucky thing that dwarves were used to enclosed spaces.

Someone suffering from claustrophobia would think this place an absolute nightmare. But I was able to enjoy the road, for I knew that it ended soon, and what we would find on the other side. I do not know how long we spent in the tunnel, but the first glimpse of its end is among my fondest memories.

From where I walked in the column, I could see a wide ledge some ways ahead.

Dwalin, who was in the lead, shouted "I can see an end. We've almost made it to the end of this accursed pathway!"

It was then that I had to rethink my theory about dwarves not being claustrophobic. I didn't very long to do this because at that moment I reached the edge of the path. And there before me lay a great valley bathed in the light of early afternoon. Slender buildings of pearly white seemed to grow from its sides and wind up its cliffs.

I closed my eyes and tilted my chin into the light breeze that blew up from the valley's great river, and I took in a great breath of fresh, sweet air. I opened my eyes once more and beheld the beauty of the valley of Imladris.

For a moment, I thought that the valley must be covered in some ethereal mist, but after looking more carefully I saw that the entire valley was draped in waterfalls and little pools of water. It was a place out of a dream world and I nearly pinched myself, for I could hardly believe it was real.

"The Valley of Imladris. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name," said Gandalf in a tone that was full of a wonder and pride that made me smile.

"Rivendell." said Bilbo simply.

I turned back to find that he was without a doubt as awestruck as I.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea." said the wizard.

And then Thorin's displeased voice wafted from the opening of the tunnel, and I remembered that not everyone on middle earth would see the beauty of Rivendell as Bilbo I had.

"This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy." he hissed.

Bilbo and I seemed to be the only two to hear the words that followed.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself." shot Gandalf, who was by no means pleased with Thorin's attitude towards the elves.

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us." retorted Thorin.

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." The wizard finished.

"Everyone follow me, we should reach the house of Lord Elrond by lunch time," Gandalf ordered the company.

We began to wind our way down the path towards the gates of Rivendell.

"Yes, let's be on our way," I said to myself. "For goodness sakes, I could use some food."

And, like Thorin, I needed answers. Answers that I was sure could only be obtained in the cradle of that valley.


	14. I blame my temper on elves

**Chapter 14**

Our path wound down into the valley, leading us through breathtaking sites, and in one place, so close to a waterfall that I reached out a hand and drank of the crisp clear water. It didn't take more than half an hour to make the descent, and it would have gone faster if my companions (excepting Bilbo and Gandalf) were not weighed down with supplies.

But in time we crossed the bridge over a river that seemed to dance in the sunlight and passed two stone elves that stood sentinel above the path to the last homely house.

Ah, Rivendell. The films could only have given me a glimpse of the beauty and grandeur before my eyes. We passed into a stone courtyard that led to a graceful flight of stairs, and it was there that we stopped.

Most of the dwarves stayed near the center of the court, but I wanted to see the water again. I strolled noiselessly back to the sentinels and leaned my head up against one of them, staring down into the sparkling waltz of the water. Brightly scaled fish swam in schools occasionally leaping from the water, and gleaming in the sunlight. There was nothing more beautiful in this world in that moment, and I wished for it to last forever.

Unfortunately, these things never do, and before too long, a dark-haired elf was walking down the stairs and had called Gandalf's name in Sindarin.

"Mithrandir." he greeted the wizard.

"Ah, Lindir!" Gandalf said.

I turned to face the company, and ran quietly back to them, joining the group.

I slipped past Balin, Bofur, and Gloin, to stand beside Kili, who was scrutinizing Lindir as if he were an enemy.

"Oy, you," I whispered, "He's not an orc."

"No you're right, he's far more dangerous than an orc," Kili whispered back.

I rolled my eyes. "He's wearing a dress, Kili." I persisted.

"So he is," Kili chuckled.

I turned my attention back to Gandalf just in time to hear him say "Not here? Where is he?"

Lindir needed not speak for at that moment a horn blew in the distance. We all turned to face the direction from whence it came to find a line of tall horses galloping across the bridge towards us.

" _Ifridî bekâr!_ Close ranks!" Shouted Thorin.

"Ready weapons," I whispered to myself. "I never knew that's what he said."

Before I could so much as blink Bilbo and I were swept to the center of the group. The horses were upon us, circling us, growing closer and closer, before finally coming to a stop. I immediately recognized Lord Elrond as their leader.

"Gandalf," he said in a tone that was both inviting and amused.

"Lord Elrond. _Mellonnen! Mo evínedh_?" the wizard greeted him.

"What's he saying?" asked Kili.

"My friend, where have you been?" I whispered back.

"Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui." Elrond illuminated.

"And now?" Kili asked.

"He says that they've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. They slew a number near the Hidden Pass." I told him.

"That must have been where we came through," Kili whispered to me. I nodded and turned back towards Elrond.

"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near." continued the elf.

By now, he had dismounted and handed what appeared to be an orcish blade to Lindir.

"Ah, that may have been us," said Gandalf.

I saw Thorin step forward, revealing himself to Elrond.

Elrond, who seemed to recognize him instantly, greeted him.

"Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin answered him curtly.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain." Lord Elrond stated regally.

"Indeed; he made no mention of you." replied Thorin, in an obvious insult aimed at the elf.

Lord Elrond ignored his slight, and turning to the dwarves, he spoke in Sindarin.

" _Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin._ "

As he spoke, I whispered the translation to Kili. "Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests."

"Are you sure that's what he's saying? It sounds insulting to me," whispered Kili, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Kili wasn't the only one of this opinion, for he had barely finished speaking when Gloin snarled "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?"

The dwarves began to mumble amongst themselves.

"No, master Gloin, he's offering you food." said Gandalf in exasperation.

The dwarves hesitated before turning to face me.

"Well translator, is that what he said?" grumbled Gloin.

I nodded once and the dwarves, seeing this gesture, turned back to Elrond.

"Ah well, in that case, lead on." Gloin offered.

We were lead from the courtyard up the steps and into the halls of Rivendell. It was as beautiful as the valley outside, and surprisingly cooler than the valley had been. Though my traveling companions were tense, I was reveling in the cool serenity of the elven halls. The signature shapes and arches that I had always associated with elves, were enhanced by rich tapestries and paintings depicting a floral scene here and a great battle there. I saw both the elves beauty and their strength in those halls, and I resolved to explore them more before leaving.

Though the elves offered a room to each of the dwarves, they elected to share a terrace and sleep in their bedrolls. The only ones among the company who had chosen to accept the invitation of lodgings were Gandalf, Thorin, Bilbo, and myself.

An elven woman with serene features and a mane of gently waving golden hair showed me to my quarters. I had the strange feeling of being out of doors for the room held many arched windows that looked over the valley. The room itself was so grand and ethereal that I felt unworthy to stand in it let alone sleep in it.

The room was elegantly built with a bed clad in creamy white covers, a dresser and wash stand with a mirror hung across from it, and a standing chandelier made from what seemed to be white branches that wove its way up to the ceiling and seemed to become part of the roof.

I stood in awe of it for a time and had just decided to wash up and meet the others when a knock came at my door. Two firm raps upon the door, and then silence. I had a very good guess of who was on the other side. I turned and opened it to see Thorin standing there, looking utterly disillusioned, and utterly disgruntled.

"You can guess my reason for coming here, I assume." He stated flatly.

I nodded.

"When you asked to come along on this quest, we made an agreement. You were to prove your value to us, or you would remain here in Rivendell. You disappeared the night we first heard wargs in the valleys, and then again you were gone just hours before a pack of orcs attacked us on the moors. You have been nothing but a burden and a bad luck to this company and you will remain here," he said.

His words stung, but I couldn't blame him for them. He was doing as a good leader should. He was protecting his own in the best way he knew how. But I had to defend myself.

"I had nothing to do with those orcs! You think I would betray the company to filth like that? I have never given you a reason to doubt my loyalty to this quest!" I said heatedly. I was angry, and poor at concealing it.

"That may be," snapped Thorin. "But have you ever proven it? Have you given me reason to believe that you are loyal?"

I froze. I wanted to tell Thorin that I had known him, and Fili, and Kili, and Bilbo, and all the rest of them for years. I wanted to tell him that his life depended on my loyalty. But I froze. I had to be careful how I used my tongue.

"That's what I thought." He said in finality.

"Clean up, we're going down to table soon. Don't want to keep the sprites waiting," he said closing the door behind him.

"They're elves," I said pointedly to the closed door.

I crossed the room and kicked the wall. How was I supposed to complete the already impossible task set before me if I was stuck in Rivendell? I was fuming, and moreover, I was frustrated. My legs hurt from running and in the absence of adrenaline, the soreness in my throat had returned in force. I marched to the door, intending to follow Thorin and confront him. I had reached the door and flung it open before I realized that there were around a dozen good reasons not to follow Thorin.

"Uggghhh!" I seethed.

I marched back to the side of my bed and began to pace back and forth, trying in vain to think of a solution. When nothing came to me, I tried to pull my shoes off and ended up hopping in a circle before finally yanking it free and throwing it at the wall. I didn't remember the last time I had been this angry. I collapsed face first onto the bed before burying my hands in my hair.

Tears began to spill from my eyes, leaking into the covers of the bed.

"How am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to change this fate? Who on earth thought I was the one to send? I can't just watch this happen. Not again." I sobbed into my pillow.

"Addâ!" I heard a child's joyful voice and looked up from the bed. The light in the room had changed, growing in warmth and part of my room now resembled a stone hallway.

"Philip, there you are, we've been looking all over!" called Fili's voice.

I sat bolt upright.

Running across my room, was a boy of three or four years. He had bouncy golden curls and bright blue eyes. He wore a white tunic and a pair of woolen trousers. I saw him reach Fili, who got down on one knew and embraced him.

"I was looking too." said the little boy sincerely.

"What for?" said Fili in the same tone as his son.

"Mama, I can't find her anywhere," he said, his little voice quivering with worry.

"She isn't here. She's gone to Dale, but she'll be home to tuck you tonight," assured Fili.

"Is she going to the hill with the birds?" asked Philip.

Fili's face darkened in concern. "How do you know about Ravenhill?"

"People talk quietly about it." said the boy.

"Something very bad happened there. When you get to be older we'll tell you about it. When you're older we'll tell you why it's a miracle that you're here with us."

They faded and I saw only the mirror across from my bed. My face was still blotchy and tear-streaked, but that was not the only change to have occurred in my features. Traveling, and a change of diet had defined my cheekbones, and lack of a straight iron had made my hair, if possible, even more wild. I thought for a brief moment that little Philip's hair had been as unruly as mine. To my chagrin, my skin was just as pale as it had been before the journey. That had always been a regret of mine. When summer came, my porcelain skin would just burn before reverting to its usual tone.

"Oh well, you can't have everything," I told my reflection complacently.

"And on that note, it's lunchtime," said Kili from my doorway.

"I'll be along in a moment," I replied, throwing him a tired smile.

"Don't be long," cautioned Kili before leaving. As soon as he was gone, I slid hastily off the bed and crossed to the wash stand. I doused my face in water and wiped it with a small towel. The traces of my tears had begun to wash away, and I felt my anger waning. The vision hadn't brought me comfort, it had made me nervous.

At least nerves wouldn't make me want to throw a bowl of food at Thorin. I breathed deeply, taking one last look at my changed reflection before leaving my room.

I was late for lunch, or as the elves called it, dinner. The food had been served, and even Elrond and Gandalf were seated with Thorin at a high table. I scanned the tables for a place to sit, finally spotting one next to Fili. I slid in next to him, and he turned to me. He seemed happily surprised to see me. I smiled and pulled a plate in front of myself, loading it with spring salad and ripe vegetables. Not my favorite foods, but after so long subsisting off of traveling fare, it was a symphony of new flavors and textures. I hadn't eaten more than a few mouthfuls when Fili spoke.

"What kept you so long?" he asked.

"Nothing really, I was having, uh, I was indisposed to be around other people." I stammered.

"Why is that?" asked Fili, unsure if I was joking or not.

"Oh, I might have yelled at you, or thrown something." I shrugged.

"Good, now you've convinced me that you're mad," he said, clearly trying to cheer me up.

"You're not the only one," I said ruefully.

Fili threw a glance at Thorin's table. "He'll come around. Just doesn't know you very well yet," he said.

"Fili, I'm staying here," I said simply.

"You're-" he started but I cut him off.

"Thorin and I made a deal in Hobbiton. I would prove my worth to the company or I would leave you when you passed Rivendell. I'm carrying out my end of the deal," I shrugged, accepting the fate given to me.

"But we would already dead without you. The trolls would have eaten us if you hadn't found the wizard," Fili said in outrage.

"That may be, but Thorin has to do what's best for the company. He believes that the best thing to do is leave me behind, and I will accept that decision," I said calmly.

This seemed to stump Fili. An expression of amazement crossed his face.

"You're siding with Thorin? Do you wish to stay here? Have we offended you or done you a disservice?" he asked.

"Of course you haven't, and no I don't want to stay here, but Thorin is your leader and you must trust that his decisions are just," I said, resigned to the fact. I wanted to change the subject, so I turned back to my food and ate some more.

Before Fili had time to reply, the other dwarves burst out in laughter.

"What happened?" asked Fili.

"Kili happened," I said, offering a small smile.

"What did he do?" Fili persisted.

"He winked at an elf maid, but Dwalin told him off. He said he didn't fancy elf maids, but that the one behind their table wasn't bad. It wasn't a maiden." I said.

Fili smiled and shook his head at the antics of his younger brother.

"One of these days he'll learn," he said.

The tables quieted, and we resumed our meal. I finished quickly and wiped my mouth with one of the napkins set before our plates. I noticed that I was the only one to have done so. I turned my attention to Thorin, who had pushed back his chair and was making his excuses to Gandalf and Elrond. I knew what was coming, so I stood to leave.

Fili followed my gaze to Thorin and sighed.

"You don't have to leave because of my uncle's presence." he said.

"I'm not. I'm leaving because it's already difficult to wash my hair, and I don't want to spend the afternoon trying to get food out of it." I said cryptically.

"You aren't making any sense," said Fili bluntly.

I rolled my eyes. "Give it a minute or two and you'll figure things out," I clarified, before slipping away from the table. I reached the hallway and stood leaning my shoulder against a pillar to watch. I saw Fili leave the table to follow me, and at length, he joined me.

"Change the tune why don't you. I feel like I'm at a funeral!" I heard Nori complain.

"I still have no idea what you were talking about," said Fili.

"Watch," I ordered.

And he did watch. We saw Bofur climb on top of the table and begin to sing. And as he sang, the other dwarves began to pelt him with various items of food as they sung along. It was truly a sight to behold.

"See? That amount of food flying around, hitting people in the head. It might take hours to get out." I observed.

"How did you know?" Fili asked simply.

I was momentarily at a loss for words. I had slipped again. I wasn't supposed to know.

"Intuition," I finally said.

"No, intuition is when you can tell a storm is coming. Or if someone close to you is in danger." Fili corrected me.

"And there's practically a rainstorm of food over there." I shrugged.

"Aria, we both know that isn't true. How did you know?" he asked.

And I hated the question. I hated that the dwarves didn't trust me. I hated that he didn't trust me.

"Oh, well then, I'll just add you to the list of people who think I'm a liar," I said as calmly as I could, before turning to walk back down the hall towards my room.

Fili followed me. "I don't think you're a liar, Aria. It' difficult to trust you, sometimes, but-" he began.

"What is that even supposed to mean?" I asked. I was, by now, quite angry with him.

I stopped and turned to face him.

"You leave the company unexpectedly, sometimes you say things that don't make any sense, you know little of the ways of your own people, and you just happen to speak elvish," he said.

"Sindarin," I corrected.

"That isn't the point." he said.

"Well, what is?" I asked, now abandoning all pretense of calmness.

"I only meant that… there's always something left unsaid with you. Alway something you can't talk about, or won't say." he said, his tone becoming tense.

I was furious. "You think that's a choice I'm making?"

"I don't know what to think. I want to trust you completely Aria, but there's so much you hide from us. I'm sure that you know more than you're letting on." he persisted.

"Yeah, I know loads more than I'm letting on! And when I say I can't tell you, I'm not trying to be pretentious or mysterious. I'm trying to make sure no one gets stabbed in the back because of my words and actions!" I nearly yelled.

"Do you mean betrayed, or is someone actually going to be stabbed in the back?" Fili asked.

I had meant it metaphorically, but his words made me realize that someone was getting stabbed in the back after all this.

By way of reply, I shook my head.

"Aria there's no one here but us. How could anything you say here be used against you?" Fili asked.

I needed him to leave. Why? Because I was incredibly close to spilling out everything I knew. I wanted to tell him everything. I did the only thing I could think of, and turned and climbed the stairs past the dwarves terrace to the small house that contained the guest wing. He stayed with me, not falling behind.

When I reached my room, I opened the door to go in.

"It isn't me I'm worried about. If I'm not careful, much more could be at stake," I said, before opening the door and going in.

"Aria,-" he started.

"Ugh, why do you dwarves have to be so stubborn? Just go back to your company!" I said before closing the door decisively.

"As you wish," I heard him say from the other side.

As I heard his footsteps receding down the hall, my anger once more evaporated and I whispered one final word. "Wait."

I spent the afternoon in my room with the door shut. I took out my old copy of Romeo and Juliet and read it over twice. When the time for dinner (or as the elves called it, supper) came, I left early and sat with Bilbo and Balin. I said little and ate less, fidgeting with a napkin under the table. I could see that the dwarves had washed after their food fight but noticed little else. Fili and Kili were slightly late, but I avoided making eye contact with either of the brothers. I woefully regretted fighting with Fili, and I wanted to apologize, but with the way I'd spoken, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want anything to do with me. After dinner, I retired to my room. I sat and I thought as the sun went down, and when the sky had been cloaked in midnight blue and pierced with a thousand stars, I lit a candle from my wash stand and left my room.

I passed the company's terrace and noticed that Kili was reclining on a cot at in the shadows, writing, while the other dwarves cooked sausages over a fire made from odd chair legs. I didn't linger long there but made my way out of the guest house and down the stairs. I entered one of Lord Elrond's halls, blowing out my candle as I did so, for the place was well and warmly lit.

I was roaming aimlessly through the carved halls in hope of clearing my head when I saw an arched and carved door left ajar. I pushed it open ever so slightly and gasped. Behind the door was the most beautiful and elegant library that I had ever seen.

I couldn't resist the urge to enter, so I tiptoed forward. White marble bookcases reached several feet above my head, filled with a myriad of every shape, size, and color of book imaginable. Slender ladders stood at each case, ready to reach the books nearest the domed ceiling. The place was lit by the warmth of torches and candles placed carefully around the room so as not to ruin the books. I walked to one of the shelves, running my fingers over the leather-bound tomes.

What a pity it was that I couldn't read them.

"Strange, is it not? The beauty that only knowledge can bestow," echoed a melodious voice from behind me. I froze, my palm still hovering over the books, and then turned slowly to face the speaker.

She was an elf, more tall and graceful than any I had yet long golden hair fell in effortless waves down her back. She wore a heather grey dress, that swept the floor behind her, and on her brow rested a silver diadem.

"Lady Galadriel," I whispered in awe.

She smiled a deep regal smile in response.

"Come here child," she ordered in a tone that was both kind and firm.

I cautiously crossed the room to stand before her. She looked me up and down before I saw something change in her expression.

"What is that which hangs about your neck?" she asked.

I showed her the rune, and I saw her expression change once more.

"So you are the one I sent for," she mused.

"You sent for me?" I asked incredulously.

"I sent for help. Or rather I asked for it. The rune is a sign that my plea has been answered," she told me simply.

"But why would you send for, sorry, why would you ask for help?" I questioned.

"I sense dark things stirring in this world. The peace which we now enjoy will, I fear, be shattered. We will see this come to pass before long. I asked for someone who was not blinded by the veil our enemy has cast over our eyes. I knew not what form this aid would take, but I see now that you have been chosen wisely." she said.

"I'm no fighter Lady. I still fail to see why I was the best for this task," I told her.

"I wondered that too, but I now see that the fate of this company of dwarves will have a greater weight over this earth than I thought. You do not know why you have been chosen, but do you, I trust, know your task?" she asked me.

"I was given a verse of riddle as I was summoned," I said slowly.

"Do you remember it?" she wished to know.

I told her that I did, and recited it faithfully.

She thought for a moment before speaking.

"It would seem that the verse speaks of this company of dwarves. You are to journey with them, telling no one of your own quest, and in this way prevent death. You know then, what is to come?"

"That's what I guessed it meant. Yes, I know what will become of the company. I knew they would come here, and I know where their journey leads them." I admitted.

"Then you know how to stop these deaths from occurring?" she asked.

I explained to her my predicament. I affected the story and certain events had to take place. After I finished talking, she thought over my words.

"Child, I can give you but one piece of advice. If you can not alter what you have seen, change the unknown. Farewell child of Earth," her ageless voice seemed to fade on the wind.

I bowed to her, and when I looked up, she was gone.

How had she known where I hailed from?

I crossed the room to sit down in one of two chairs that occupied its center, and I thought long and hard about the conversation I had just been a part of. "Change the unknown," I whispered. The words were a puzzle in themselves. I decided to return to my room and think them over in bed. I stood and crossed the room. The door was ajar as I had left it. I wondered how Lady Galadriel could come and go so quietly.

I opened the door the rest of the way, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw Fili leaning up against the wall across the corridor. He straightened up when he saw me. My eyes grew wide. "How much did you hear?" I asked him quietly. I was too afraid to raise my voice.

"More than I should have," he answered simply.

We stood, staring at each other, he in regret, and I in terror. I had decided on saying something when we heard footsteps echoing down the corridor towards us. They belonged to Kili.

"Where have you been? I was starting to worry you'd been kidnapped!" he called to Fili.

He reached us and I excused myself, quickly tracing the path back to my room.

Once there I sat on the edge of the bed, hands buried in my hair. He knew. Fili knew. How could I have let that happen? I took off my shoes, pulled back the bed cover, and climbed in. I fell asleep with surprising ease. My final thoughts that night were of the unknown. I could change the unknown. Thinking of Galadriel's words helped to ease the knot in my stomach from the events that had, so closely, followed those words.

"Wake up," an urgent voice drifted through my pleasant slumber.

"Aria, I need you to be fully awake right now," whispered the voice with even more urgency than it first had held.

I recognized Fili's voice, and my eyes flew open. I was still drowsy but awakened enough to listen.

"I-" I started to say, but he shook his head. I shut up immediately.

"We're leaving now. Our packs have been refilled with provisions and so has yours. You have one half hour to be out the door and on the road. Stay close behind us, no more than a quarter of a mile away, but don't let Thorin see you. After we get through the mountains he can't send you back. Join us then." Fili detailed all this quietly and quickly.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked blearily.

"It's recently come to my attention that leaving you here would be far more perilous than taking you with us," he whispered, before leaving and closing the door behind him. I rubbed my eyes and rose from my bed. I crossed quickly to a window, through which I could see a column of dwarves making their way through Rivendell. Half an hour.

This journey wasn't over just yet.


	15. Over Hill Unaccompanied

**Chapter 15**

What had just happened? I wondered as I stared out of the window. Thorin was as good as his word in leaving me behind, but Fili? Fili had directly disobeyed the wishes of his uncle in helping me to continue. I wanted to talk to him then, I needed to make things right between us, and the thought of my actions the day before made me cringe. I didn't have time to dwell on it now, so I turned from the window and looked around the room that had, for a little time, been mine. My backpack sat, newly full of provisions, close by the door and the bed was unmade. The only other sign of my inhabitance was the pair of blue converse shoes by the bed.

Stepping away from the window I climbed over the bed and sat on its edge to pull them on. Afterwards, I smoothed the covers of my bed and straightened the pillows. I took one look in the mirror and decided against brushing out my hair, for that task would take half an hour in itself.

I sighed, and took one last look around the room, for there was nothing left to do now but leave. As I hoisted my considerably more heavy backpack onto my shoulder, I wished that I could have spent more time in the valley. I wished that my temper hadn't been so terrible the day before. When I closed the door to my chambers behind me, I promised myself that if I made it through the journey to come, I would return to visit Rivendell.

I made my way down the hall past the closed doors of other chambers, and out onto the landing of the guest house. The morning was clear and cool for though the sun shone down upon the valley, autumn would soon be upon us.

I looked out over the valley and noticed that the column of dwarves had reached the edge of the town and were beginning to cross the winding bridge that would lead them away from Rivendell and out of the valley. I knew that I should follow, but I wanted to keep as much distance between myself and the company as possible. Being caught by Thorin (or even one of the dwarves) meant a one-way ticket back to Rivendell, and I couldn't afford that.

So I stood, surveying the valley from the landing outside the guest house. I felt it so hard to believe that the beauty of the sloping buildings and majestic falls of Rivendell were real. This place had the uncanny ability to calm you into a worry less fantasy, and if I wasn't careful, I might end up staying there, losing myself amidst the beauty of this fabled haven.

My musings were interrupted by the sound of quiet footsteps ascending the stairs towards me. I glanced at the stairs to find that the steps belonged to Lord Elrond.

"Must you leave so soon?" He asked as he reached the landing.

I nodded. "I've got to follow the company. My fate is with theirs and I can't afford to be separated from them."

"You so willingly tie yourself to a company that has left you behind in the company of elves?" he asked me.

"It wasn't my choice, but if it was, my answer would still be yes," I replied.

"So that is the task of which Lady Galadriel spoke. It would seem that the fate of this company of dwarves weighs more heavily upon that of this world than I had assumed," he said, almost to himself.

"Who told you of this?" I asked.

"The Lady herself, and your quest is safe in my confidence," he continued, bowing his head. "But I would advise you to keep the knowledge of it a secret. In telling the dwarves, you would have good intentions but I fear the results," he finished.

"What results?" I asked, my mind flying to thoughts of Fili.

"Many who know their fate wish to change it. None truly succeed for some events are fixed in time, but they will struggle against it," he advised.

"And if one already knows about my quest?" I asked, a lump forming in my throat.

"My words stand. If the future is still hidden for him, then keep it so. The Lady Galadriel senses a darkness in this world. It would seem that you are the answer to her pleas. The company will decide the fates of many. You will decide the fates of many, Protector of The Lonely Mountain.

"Galu, Aria," he said. He was wishing me good luck.

"Guren glassui," I replied by thanking him in Sindarin.

He bowed one final time, turned, and receded down the stairs. I stood pondering what he had said. He had called me the protector of the lonely mountain. The thought of it made me shiver, for I wasn't sure that I was up to it. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for a brief moment, and then I was off.

I quickly wove my through the buildings saying a mental farewell the valley as I did so.

By the time I reached the bridge, I was running. Not running away from something, but running just for the feeling of the ground rushing beneath my feet and the sensation of my hair flying out behind me.

Before I knew it, I was slowing to accommodate the sloping of the path as it wound its way up the cliffside. The path grew narrow beneath my feet as I climbed out of the valley, and I had to stop several times to lean against the rock face. The rock was cool and solid, and it helped the sensation of dizziness and vertigo subside. Right around that time, I was more afraid of heights than I had ever been. Despite this, I made it to the pathway that the company had taken out of the valley.

I took one last look upon the valley. From where I stood, I could see the river winding through the valley. The sun bathed Rivendell in a tranquil glow, and small refractions of light bouncing off the falls. A part of me longed to remain in that place, for I knew that I would be happy and content. But the adventurous part of me won out. I turned away from Rivendell and took the road out of the valley. I internally berated myself for contemplating staying. I had a task to complete and I wasn't about to turn my back on the dwarves now.

I emerged onto the rolling hills near Rivendell and was greeted by a brisk wind that the valley walls had concealed me from until this point. I climbed the closest rise to get a good view of the surrounding country. I could see the snowy peaks of mountains rising up to meet the cloudless sky some ways ahead of me. And in the distance, I could see them. I company of dwarves making their way towards the peaks. I suppressed the urge to call out to them to wait for me. I was further behind them than I should have been, but as long as I kept a steady pace, I should encounter no difficulty in keeping up.

"On we go then," I said aloud to myself. And I hiked down the hill, and through the tundra-like brush and bracken, following the company.

From there, I had to take care in my advancement. I could see the company far ahead of me, but it was imperative that they could not spot me when looking back. I kept low, staying behind hillocks and as close to shelter as I could be. I passed a few hours travelling in this way before boredom began to set in. I counted four times that I turned to talk to Fili or Kili or Oin, only to find that they were, in fact, a mile or so away from me. So in this time, I began to hum. I hummed the melodies to random pop songs, ballads, even lullabies that I hadn't heard in years. In this way, I passed much of the morning.

Around noon, I noticed that the sun had nearly reached its zenith and so I found a flat stone embedded in the terrain and sat down to take lunch. The food was simple travellers fare, but even so, you could tell that it was made by someone with a hand for cooking. I rested for roughly ten minutes before rising and hoisting my pack back onto my shoulders. I continued my trek through the rugged outcroppings, my hair and the tips of my cape drifting back in the crisp breeze.

As I hiked on, my thoughts turned to the events of the previous day. Thorin's words still stung, but I knew that they had a basis in truth, and I could bare that. What was more difficult were my words to Fili. I had said things to him that I wished never to have said. "Why do you dwarves have to be so stubborn? Just go back to your company!" Had been my exact words. And he'd just done as I asked. Then I was remembering the entire argument. Throughout it all,he'd only wanted was answers to simple questions. He had also wanted to know what was happening to me. If there was a reason that I couldn't tell him everything I knew.

Well, he'd found out in the end. I should have explained everything to him outside the library. I should have apologised, but I didn't. I didn't say so much as an "I'm sorry," but he had still woken me up that morning, and made sure I had provisions. I felt like a storming, sulky, and irate idiot with no sense of timing. Maybe projecting my thoughts for all to hear wasn't the most powerful weapon I could use. Maybe it was just the most dangerous.

I passed the rest of the day wrapped up in my thoughts, and so I didn't realize that the company had stopped until I saw their fire spring up some ways ahead of me, lending a burst of color to the dusky sky. I searched for some place to camp and settle on a rocky outcropping only a short distance in front of me. I hiked over to it to find that I had chosen well. It offered some shelter to me, and there was a dry bit of ground on which to lay my bed roll.

When my little campsite was prepared, I sat on my unfolded bedroll and ate sparingly from my provisions. I had elected not to start a campfire, for its smoke and color would be visible to any in the area, including the dwarves.

Having finished my dinner, I lay down to sleep. I had grown used to sleeping amidst a group of people. Many of whom would sit up laughing into the night, or would snore loudly enough to wake the dead. Even in Rivendell, I could hear them on their terrace below the guest house. Now, the silence seemed smothering and uncomfortable. I slept in fits, waking up many times, only to fall back into the same restless sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I was freezing. It occurred to me that maybe a fire wouldn't have been the worst thing for me. Shivering, I reached for my pack and selected my breakfast from it. I ate lying down covered by my cloak and blanket, still shivering. As soon as I finished, I forced myself to get up. I tied up my bedroll, hoisted both it and my supplies onto my back, and left the outcropping. Ahead of me, rose a small spiral of smoke, denoting that the dwarves had yet to extinguish their fire. So I waited, vigorously rubbing my arms to keep them warm until the fire was extinguished.

I spent that day in much the same way as the last, trekking, breaking for lunch, singing to pass the time, and camping in the most enclosed place I could find. The only thing to change was my surroundings, for the terrain grew even rockier if that was possible.

In the days that followed, I fell into a solitary rhythm. I was occupied by the breathtaking views of the mountains. I vividly remember passing behind a waterfall, and hearing it roaring power as it sprayed me with icy cold water. It fell in a white sheet before me, and if it weren't so early in the afternoon, I would have spent the night there.

The nights of broken sleep continued. I really did miss the camaraderie of traveling with a group. Even if they were all men and most of them were more than a little bit rowdy, they had become friends of mine. I couldn't help but wonder if they missed me.

And then the day came that the dwarves didn't halt at the usual time. We were in the mountains by now, and the dwarves were about to head into a stretch of treacherous rock faces. From what I remembered of the film, the paths in this area were narrow and slippery. Add a nice stone giant battle to the mix and the situation spelled out certain death for a lone traveller. I then remembered the later events of that night. The mountain cave, the goblin tunnels, the riddles in the dark...Azog.

I decided to nap and then continue through the pass overnight. I would reach the other side by early morning. I would rejoin the company early the next morning, and Thorin wouldn't have time to send me back through the pass.

With my plan formed, a found a place for my bedroll and settled down for what I planned to be a short nap. I drifted off to sleep slowly, and no dreams visited me, and I did not wake. It was the best rest I'd had in days.

It was also the calm before the storm.

I was lying on my side, facing the pass when I awoke. I didn't know what had caused me to for a moment, but I tensed as I realized I was hearing words. I recognized the meaning, but the tongue was one I had yet to hear. If it was not Khuzdul or Sindarin, that could only mean one thing.

Black speech.

" _The scent is fresh! They have taken the mountain pass_ ," growled the voice nearby.

I could hear the growling of wargs, and I knew the only one who would speak those words.

I heard a throaty yell and dug my fingers into the ground beside me, to scared to move a muscle.

I felt reverberations in the ground as the wargs thundered past me, towards the pass. I sighed with relief that they had not caught me, and sat up. I was packing up my bedroll when felt the breeze change ever so slightly. The fickle force that we call wind came from behind me, blowing my hair across my face and twisting the ends of my cloak about my legs.

Within seconds, I heard a guttural howl. Not thinking to leave it behind, I grabbed my pack, slung it over my shoulders, and ran back toward the treeline that I had deserted just hours ago. I reached the pines, and continued to run, lending all the speed in my body to that one task.

As I dashed through the trees, branches reached out for me, seeming to grab and pull at me, as if conspiring my downfall. Though I was able to avoid their clutches for a time, I should have known my luck would run out.

The strap of my bedroll caught on a protruding branch, bringing me to a stop. I fumbled behind my back, trying desperately to undo the strap, but it was seconds of mindless fumbling later before I finally managed to break loose. The bedroll fell to the ground, and I left it behind. I had lost valuable time, and now, I could hear the giant footfalls of the wargs growing closer and closer to me with every second.

I ran for a time longer, fueled only by adrenaline and the need to escape the panting breaths and guttural howls of the beasts behind me. My flight ended suddenly as my foot caught on a root, sending me sprawling to the ground. I tried to stagger to my feet but was entangled in my cape. Another moment and they were upon me.

* * *

 **So sorry about the cliffie! But, I can't promise that an evil author laugh wasn't included while writing this chapter! (It totally was)**


	16. Night of frying pans and fire

**Okay, that was a long enough wait! Here's the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 16**

I was barreled to the ground by a warg, and I felt every bone in my body protest the pain of the impact. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable. The hot fetid breath of the animals told me just how close they were. I was pressed to the ground, my temple and much of my hair collecting dirt. I didn't pay much heed to this, for, after all, the state would be fleeting. I would be dead soon, and the soil could have what it wanted with my hair.

I heard massive jaws creaking open above me. I felt hot, thick saliva hitting my face and neck.

Time seemed to freeze around me. I felt a tear slip down my cheek and fall to hit the ground. I didn't have the strength for this. I was terror-stricken at the idea of dying here, alone, and at the hands of such horrid beasts as these. In my final moments of life, there were a hundred things that should have been going through my mind, and I had just moments to think them. But there was only one thing occupying my mind in those precious seconds.

Or, rather, one person. I thought of the last time I'd heard those growls, and how someone had been there to take my hand, to help me escape their jaws. I thought of how he hadn't let go, even when I told him I could carry on by myself.

In those few seconds, something seemed to click. My jealousy at the thought of a wife Fili hadn't met yet. My nervousness around him, even after knowing him all this time. My wishing so fervently to tell him everything I knew. The fact that, though I had favoured Kili in looks before the journey, Fili had for some time now drawn my eye in a way that his brother didn't. I had told him my name. A name that not even my parents had used in years. And every time he said it, I felt more and more at home.

Was I...was I in love with him?

My eyes snapped open, and time seemed to speed up again. A rumbling growl issued from the gullet of the foul beast hovering over me. I saw the muscles in its neck tighten and-"Stop!" commanded a rough voice from somewhere above my head.

"But Master, my beast thirsts for flesh," replied an equally hideous voice.

"No. I have other plans for the she-dwarf." commanded the first voice.

This one must, I realized, belong to Azog.

I heard the other orc grumble, but the jaws so close to my face snapped shut, and the wargs head retreated.

"What plans, Master?" asked a third voice.

"The dwarf-scum are slow minded and vengeful. If they see this thing killed before their eyes, they will foolishly attack...Oakenshield will be mine." His next words were addressed to the orc whose warg had tried to eat me. "Then, will your beast taste dwarf flesh," Azog growled.

"Take her!" he ordered.

I heard feet hit the ground, and before I knew it, I was yanked sharply to my feet.

I was shoved over to one of the greedy-eyed wargs and hoisted onto its back. A clawlike hand on the back of my head pushed me into a hunched position, with my face near its bony shoulders. Rough ropes seemed to come from nowhere, weaving under the warg's belly, and over my backpack, tying me to the beast.

"Stop shaking! Or I'll gut ya!" wheezed the orc tying me down. It was only then that I noticed it myself. I was violently shivering in pure, undiluted terror. Try as I might, I could not stop my body from shaking. The orc just knotted the rope tighter, causing me to gasp in pain, and the warg to snap its teeth in annoyance. The orc completed its job and left to remount its own foul steed.

I lay there, still shaking. Trying hard not to let my sobs be heard. I was crying harder, and more quietly than I had ever shed tears in my life. As Azog called for the pack to move out, I wished that the warg had finished me off back on the ground. The fate I was about to face was going to be much worse.

In that last moment, lying there in the soil, I had known what was coming and had been ready for it. Now I would suffer death by an orc blade. Watched by all of my companions, and used as bait for their capture.

I would have to look into their eyes as the life left mine.

I would have to look into His eyes as I died. As the breath left my body, never to return, I would have to look into the eyes of the one I couldn't save. His death would be sealed with mine, and this thought made the silent tears falling down my face double.

The wargs quick movement beneath me seemed to jar my body with each pounding, leaping, bounding step. I could do nothing about it but endure as it carried me towards my fate.

As I was born through the last of the foothills and into the mountains themselves, my fear was introduced to a new sensation.

Boredom.

When these two sensations met, they conspired to create a feeling of enhanced all-consuming terror. The tears were gone, and I was left to lay there, slung across the warg's back, frozen.

I told myself that I had to think of something to occupy my mind. Anything to deter me from this state of empty fear. The answer I was searching for came surprisingly quickly.

My thoughts fell to my flight, my clumsy trip, and the thoughts that had flown to my mind when I thought my life was about to end.

"Aria, you fool!" I whispered to myself.

I had been sent to Middle Earth for one reason, and one reason alone. I was to save the lives of Fili, Kili, and Thorin. Falling in love was in no way part of that equation. I tried desperately to dissuade myself from the idea, creating all manner of excuses for the feelings I was having. Firstly telling myself that it was just a childish crush based on physical attraction. A little voice in the back of my head reminded me that I'd only begun to find him handsome after getting to know him. I tried the weak argument that I was mistaking love for having my first close friend, and I thought for a moment that this argument had dissuaded me. Then I remembered the night we had met. He'd caught me when my twisted ankle had buckled. Why could I still remember the feeling of his arm around my waist? Why, when he caught me, had I tucked my hair behind my ear? That was a nervous habit that I had lost when I left childhood. I hadn't done it in years.

Not until I met Fili.

My heart seemed to quicken, but only just for a moment. When it slowed, I was calmed. Steadied.

Oh, I was still fearful, but my body was calm, and the only sign of my fear was left in the tear stains on my face and the shallowness of my breath.

As the craggy peaks of the mountains grew to surround the riding pack of orcs, and the stormy wind lessened, my searching mind latched onto another, far less welcoming, thought. The last time we'd had a real conversation, I'd yelled at him. I had told him he was stubborn and ordered him to go away.

After that, I'd ran from him outside the library, and what had he done?

He'd done as I asked. He left. And then, despite all that I had said to him, he made sure that I could get out of Rivendell to rejoin the company.

And I didn't apologise.

It was so typical of me to run my mouth and not to apologise. And now? Now I wanted so desperately to say I was sorry, and this time, I wouldn't get the chance to.

A single tear slipped down my cheek, and I bit my lip, in an attempt to stop myself from crying anymore. The next footfall of the warg caused my teeth to jar together, and I found myself with a mouthful of blood and a very cut lip.

After this point, I don't remember much, except that I was born through the lower part of the mountain pass, to accommodate the beasts that carried my captors and I. We passed most of the night in this way.

I could see the outline of trees on the horizon. Great pines and conifers with low branches. Easy to climb, but easily felled. From what I could tell, several were old and dead. These would catch flame, and burn with a light seen far and wide.

"We should have caught that scum by now!" complained one of the orcs.

Ahead of me, Azog stopped the pack. His terrible white warg circled that of the complaining orc.

"Should we?" The pale orc rasped ominously.

The complaining orc just stuttered in return. In the blink of an eye, Azog's mangled weapon had been drawn. It flashed across the lightening sky, just before the head of the complaining orc fell to the ground. It had been bashed in and completely severed by the fell blow. It was followed closely by the thing's body, resulting in a loud thud.

I gasped! My eyes widening. My situation continued to worsen by the minute. If Azog was so willing to end the life of a servant, then what torment would he inflict on me?

"Regrettable," said Azog, in an absurdly calm fashion.

"He was right," finished the pale orc.

A wave of nausea flooded my body. I was in the captivity of creatures who did not hesitate to take the lives of their own on a whim. I realized with another shock, that none of the orcs had attempted to take my pack or dagger. I was still armed, but they knew I could cause them so little damage that they didn't even bother with taking my weapons away. A knot formed in my throat. This couldn't be happening. I needed to wake up in the little hollow where I had made camp the night before, and I needed to get away from these wretched creatures.

But I knew that wasn't going to happen. This was all too real.

I saw Azog dismount his warg, and stalk over to the mountainside nearest us, kicking the head of his fallen servant as he did so.

He banged his fist against the mountain side, and to my surprise, an echo greeted us. Before another handful of seconds had passed, the side of the mountain slid open to reveal a goblin scribe in a chair.

I could not hear the words that passed between the two creatures, but it wasn't long before Azog returned, an evil grin plastered all over his pale face.

"The dwarf-scum have run from the goblin tunnels. We have them now!" he announced in blackspeach. There was something about that language that made my blood curdle. Every time that I heard his voice, I wished it would be the last. If only I could wish his voice away. If only I could wish a great number of things away.

There was no further time for talk, as the wargs resumed their hunt, with Azog in the lead.

I craned my head to look up at the sky. It was dawn, and the sun had begun to rise over the mountains, tinting everything golden. I knew better than to fall for this ruse of beauty, for it would be a false sunrise. The clouds would soon darken, constricting it's light until an illusion of midnight would be created. Such events always follow evil things, and Azog was the most evil creature I had yet to meet. He was also likely to be the last.

The sky was darkening, storm clouds obscuring the sun in a shroud of night unbefitting the hour.

We were close now. I could even hear the voices of the dwarves ahead. I had to do something to halt Azog's advance.

"Wait!" I said, in a moment of pure madness.

I felt my throat rebel against my use of that foul language, but I felt also a terrible power in the utterance of the word.

A snarl greeted my outburst, and Azog, to my surprise and horror, held up his remaining hand to halt the advance. He turned his white warg to face me, and it began to stalk towards me. The other wargs stepped back to clear a path for the pale one.

I gulped. What in Durin's name had I gotten myself into? I faced Azog, looking him in the eye, which was about as much defiance as I could muster.

"How do you speak in the tongue of the orc?" he growled, his voice a beast of malice in itself.

"You will not speak the in the tongue of my people, I must stop you in your-" I stopped abruptly. I had been about to insult the orc in no uncertain terms, when I remembered, all of a sudden, that day behind the green dragon. I remembered what Fili had told me. "You have two choices. Either learn to fight or stop running your mouth. You can't be outspoken and then unwilling to fight when your words come back to bite you."

I shut my mouth decisively. The pale orc wasn't worth my time. He wasn't worth my words. It occurred to me that this was the first time in years that I had chosen silence. A pity it would be my last.

Azog scoffed, and I lowered my head in submission. "The she-dwarf has lost her tongue. Tie her to a tree where the other filth can see her. I want to hear her beg for death," he spat, before turning to lead the advance, and before I knew what was happening, we were moving again. My belated silence had only delayed my death. Delayed it and worsened it.

The wargs loped towards the precipice of the overlook. Below us, I could see them. The company was spread out over a small area. I craned my neck further over the warg's shoulder, trying to get a better view of them. They seemed to be gathered around a smaller figure...Bilbo!

Before I had time to be properly relieved that the hobbit had safely rejoined the company, Azog spoke.

"Run them down! Tear them to pieces!" he growled in that harsh language, raising his terrible weapon overhead. The unbridled wargs moved to the forefront of the pack and began to bound down the steep rise in hot pursuit of the dwarves. Their abrasive howls struck the darkening sky around me as if with lightning. Pain shot through my eardrums as the one to whose back I was tied let out its own blood chilling call.

I shut my eyes tight, for I knew what was coming next.

Azog delivered another order that I was too panicked to comprehend, and my warg pitched itself over the edge. In the moment that we were falling through space, my stomach could have done a hundred somersaults. We hit the ground hard, jarring my aching body so that I nearly let out a cry of pain. I gnashed my teeth together as we thundered down the mountainside, recklessly dodging trees left and right. My heart was in my throat, I had to remember to breathe.

The warg hurtled towards the trees in which the dwarves were now trapped. Before I realized what was happening, it tried to throw its weight onto the first tree.

I was bucked up into the air, and my neck whiplashed forward when it hit the ground. My nose collided with the back of its neck, and I felt an almost immediate flow of warm blood on my face. With nothing to staunch it, the blood was left to run freely down my face, and into the beast's matted fur. I knew it was there, but as the immediate pain of the collision faded, so did my concentration on my injury.

After its first jump, the warg seemed to think it couldn't continue while carrying me on its back, so it turned, and loped over to where the bulk of the orc pack was now descending at a more leisurely pace.

We got away just in time, for the moment we were out of their reach, I heard the first of the pines creaking under pressure, and falling. By now the sun had taken all of my hope for survival, and pulled it, along with its own rays of light, behind the cover of a false night.

When the warg baring me reached Azog, he looked up at the dwarves, all of whom were now cornered in one remaining tree, and laughed. It was a mirthless laugh that, like his voice, I wished never to hear again. His next words confirmed that I was about to get what I wanted.

"They are done for. I have no need of this one after all! Do with her as you wish," He smirked.

The warg loped away from Azog with a snarl. When we were sufficiently out of the pale orc's way, the warg froze.

Suddenly, it jerked its head to the left. I let out a yelp in panic. The warg had encountered a problem. His meal was soundly strapped to his back, and now he was trying to bite the rope off.

He bucked again! I could only manage a whimper this time. I was going to die. Its jaws snapped shut alarmingly close to my side, and I felt my eyes widen. I was going to be eaten by this-

All of a sudden, light flashed past the corner of my vision. The warg's attention was captured, and it ceased bucking to watch the light. I recalled that it was Gandalf who had thrown the first fiery pine cone into the pack of wargs. Within seconds, it was followed by a veritable hailstorm of the burning missiles. The wargs were greatly aggravated by this, whimpering and retreating from the blaze before their eyes.

My warg was caught by surprise and seemed to shy away from the fire, choosing to move to the edge of the blaze and whimper up at those who continued to rain pine cones down on them from above.

Another few seconds and it, along with the other unridden wargs went running with their tails between their legs, back into the pine forest. As I was born towards the trees, I heard a collective cheer from the dwarves, followed closely by a creek as their tree swayed and fell backwards. I twisted my head to get a glimpse of the fallen tree, but my view was obscured by the flames.

Then the pine forest blocked me from any sight of the company that I had gained. The warg carried me back farther and farther until we were truly alone.

Once more, it bucked, yellowed fangs snapping together only inches from me. I thought at first that it had been unsuccessful in snapping, but then I felt the slip. I moved left slightly. Not enough for it to bite into, but if it kept on in this manner?

The warg leapt into the air, and I yelled out in panic as I slipped backwards in the ropes. When it hit the ground, I found myself in an awkward position. The rope securing me to the accursed creature's back had slipped and was now riding up under my arms, forcing my left one into an awkward position.

I groaned, knowing what was coming next. I felt the warg's muscles tense beneath me for a brief moment before it jumped. I felt my precariously positioned right arm twist dangerously, I heard a popping noise as the warg hit the ground. My shoulder exploded in pain, and I cried out in agony.

I clung to short bristly bunches of hair on the back of the thing's neck, hoping that I could keep my position. The warg growled in protest at my grip, and leapt once more in the air, sending a sharp spasm of pain through my shoulder. As it hit the ground once more, I slipped further to the side. One more jump would put me in biting range.

A sinking feeling filled my gut. I knew that it would all be over soon, and there was nothing that I could do about it.

"No!" I could hear Balin's voice shouting in the distance.

I vaguely wondered why he was yelling.

"Thorin!" Dwalin yelled.

Oh, so Thorin had been attacked by Azog. Bilbo would save him now, and everything would be fine. My thoughts were becoming blurry through the haze of pain caused by the continuous jarring of the beast's footsteps beneath me.

The warg, who had been gearing up for another jump, turned towards the fray to sniff the air. I felt a deep growl emanate from it, and it began to stalk back towards the edge of the wood. It must have smelled something. Dwarf blood maybe? I shivered at the thought, sending another spike of pain through the area around my shoulder.

I heard Azog roar and saw something thrown across the clearing. Thorin! He'd tried to defend himself and the warg had flung him to the ground.

We advanced to the edge of the woods, where I could see Thorin sprawled out on the ground where he had fallen. I spotted Azog giving an order to one of his scum, who then climbed off of his warg, and stalked over to where Thorin lay helpless on the ground.

The warg beneath me tensed and my eyes widened, expecting another leap.

It was a moment before I realized that the warg was tense with anticipation. These truly were such evil creatures as legends speak of. The stuff of nightmares and cautionary tales told to children. And I was riding on of them.

The orc reached Thorin, and positioned his sword above the dwarf's neck, and raised it for the final stroke.

The hobbit seemed to come from nowhere, barreling the orc over and saving Thorin. What transpired between Bilbo and the orc on the ground was beyond my vision, but of course, I knew what was happening. Despite his small stature and inability to fight, Bilbo was overcoming the orc and stabbing it with Sting.

It was at that moment, lying strapped across the warg's back, that a thought struck me. I was going to die if I didn't do something soon. The warg would become bored with the events in the clearing and it would return to bucking me off of its back. One more jump, and I would be dislodged enough for it to bite into me. But Bilbo, small as he was, had been able to defeat an orc three times his size to save Thorin.

Was there a chance that I could do the same?

Then Bilbo was back up again, flailing Sting in Azog's direction as the pale orc grinned wickedly at him.

"Kill him!" Azog ordered, and the wargs began to advance on Bilbo. All except mine, who decided that it had had enough of the scene. I had only moments before it would attack, and this time, I wasn't just going to let the thing buck me into biting range.

I had to think fast. There had to be something I could do to distract it. I thought quickly, sifting through memories of old fights and tight situations. I remembered the incident with the troll only days before that very moment. I remembered the morning that had followed. Finding Gandalf, helping the dwarves to escape.

Helping the dwarves to escape!

I twisted my head as far around as I could, trying to see my dagger. To my surprise, it was still there. It hadn't been taken by Azog's orcs. If I could only reach it through the ropes.

I glanced up to see that the wargs were still advancing on Bilbo, who they had trapped against the cliffs edge.

The next seconds seemed to speed up into a blurred mess of action.

The warg bearing me tensed to jump in almost the same moment that I grabbed my dagger from its sheath and slit the ropes tethering me to its back. I heard a great shout from the attacking dwarves as the beast leapt high in the air!

In the frantic seconds that I was airborne, I plunged the dagger into the nearest thing I could reach; the base of the warg's neck. It fell to earth with my fists still grasping the dagger embedded in its flesh.

It hit the ground at an incline, trapping the lower half of my body beneath its immovable mass. I couldn't free my legs, and I needed desperately to stand. To take stock of the battle raging around me.

I cried out in pain as the warg gave a dying twitch, trapping me further underneath its weight.

"Kili!" I heard a yell near me.

"What? Can this wait? I'm busy!" Came Kili's shout from some distance away. His voice was followed closely by the dying yowl of a warg.

"Okay, now what is it?" his voice came from somewhere closer to my left side.

"I heard something over there! I think someone's trapped under that warg!" That was Fili's voice, I was sure of it. I tried to twist my head upwards to see what was going on, but that only sent shafts of pain through my shoulder.

Then from high above me, I heard a wild screech the likes of which I had never witnessed, I felt a great rush of air that blew my hair back from my face. Tears rushed to my eyes, for I knew what that wind, and call heralded.

I began to struggle vigorously, fighting with all of my might to free myself. One of the great eagles must have spotted my struggle.

I heard yet another call, felt the wind of its wings, and the talons that closed in around my back. I saw the great bird overhead, lifting me to away from the fray, the warg in one giant claw, and me in the other. It was the strangest, and most exhilarating feeling that I felt while I watched the fiery patch of mountainside fall away beneath me.

The air was now filled with the sounds of calling eagles and the far away cries of dismay from our enemies as they were decimated in the wake of our unlikely saviors.

Far below, I could see a solitary pine stuck out at an odd angle on the cliff side. I watched as the eagles soared in towards it to pick up dwarf by dwarf and carrying them to safety. The eagle holding me saw fit to drop the body of that wretched warg, and I didn't bother to follow its fall from the sky with my eyes. It had caused me pain and terror, and I was fully prepared to be done with it.

The eagle wheeled, ascending as it did so, to follow its companion, who bore Dori and Ori. As the darkened land passed beneath us, I fervently thanked every higher power in Middle Earth for the darkness. It shielded my eyes from the full extent of the drop that I would face if I were to have fallen.

That all changed when I beheld the sunrise. The false night fell away as we flew over the mountains, and we were greeted magnificently by the day.

The canvas of the sky had been stroked with paints of gold, yellow, rose, and violet. It took what breath I had left from my lips, and all I could do was stare in awe at it, as the wings of the great eagle rocked me on the wind.

With the sun came the fear of heights, but the sense of security I gained from the eagle's talons closed tightly around me, gave me peace enough to enjoy the spectacular view. The mountain peaks visible through a sea of cloud banks, swooping along a waterfall before banking down into the valley beneath it, looking back to catch a glimpse of the other company members, and finally, the Carrock! Tall and hewn from rock, with the likeness of a bear carved into the stone. It seemed to rise from a sea of trees and greenery, a sentinel in that wild country,

The eagle carrying Thorin was the first to make its final descent, laying the dwarf down as gently as possible, considering its enormous size. The next eagles to follow carried Gandalf and Bilbo.  
Dori and Ori's eagle soon deposited them on firm ground before mine began wheeling in downward spirals, depositing me on the firm stone of a small ledge near the back edge of the Carrock. As its claws unclasped from around my body, a talon nudged my left arm, which sent a spasm of pain through my shoulder.

"I must have dislocated the blasted thing!" I said through gritted teeth, before using my good arm to push myself to my feet. I would have to face the company sooner or later, and I wanted to get this over with, so I took my first step back towards the larger ledge upon which the dwarves were being deposited. I ventured two steps further before stopping dead in my tracks.

I was fine one moment and the next I was sitting on the first crude stone step, shaking like a leaf. I could barely wrap my head around the past night, and I had been so prepared to die, so ready. Now here I was, not dead, and very much a free person.

I barely registered Thorin's commanding voice "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? That you had no place amongst us?"

I knew that he was going to apologise to Bilbo but I couldn't hear his next words, for the dwarves all began to cheer and chuckle to one another.

Though I didn't hear the words of their conversation, their relief was evident.

Through eyes blurred with tears of shock, I saw the eagles rise on the wind, and glide smoothly away from the Carrock, throwing the occasional wild call back towards us.

Then they were gone, disappearing from sight as quickly as they had arrived.

"Is that what I think it is?" I heard Bilbo ask.

"Erebor—The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth." Illuminated Gandalf.

I wanted to see it for myself, so I blearily tried to stand. I tried to use my injured arm to hoist myself into a standing position, but it bore no weight and with a gasp, I collapsed back into my corner.

I was still shaking, and the pain in my shoulder was terrible, so by the time I had pulled my thoughts back to coherency, I was only able to catch the tail end of what was said by the company.

"But we'll take it as a sign - a good omen," Thorin spoke.

"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us." was Bilbo's reply.

I realized suddenly that the first film was ending. We weren't going to get a sneak peak of Smaug at this point, so for us, the film was actually ending!

On the ledge, all was silent.

Silent that is until Bombur voiced a key problem.

"I'm hungry," he said emphatically.

"But we have no provisions," piped up Bofur.

"He's right! Those filthy goblins took our packs," said Kili in outrage.

I could hear the dwarves begin to mutter among themselves.

It was only then that I remembered the pack still on my own back. I had eaten sparingly since we left Rivendell and as such, I had enough provisions for at least one meal per company member.

I stood, this time remembering to use my good arm. I made my way up the rock-hewn steps and stood behind the dwarves.

"We're going to starve," said Ori when things had quieted down a bit.

"No, we won't," Dori consoled him. "All we have to do is find some food."

"I think I can help with that!" I said loudly.

The thirteen dwarves, the hobbit, and the wizard all turned to stare at me.

 **I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed the story! They make my day and I love to hear your thought and feedback, especially on character development. :)**


	17. The Height of Welcomes

**Sorry for the long wait especially with the little cliffie at the end. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed the story. They really make me want to write more :) Enjoy the awkwardness!**

 **Chapter 17**

I stood there awkwardly for what felt like an eternity.

The dwarves watched me, and I watched them. I gulped, just waiting for something to happen because, to be honest, I would have preferred being yelled at to the silence I was now facing.

Finally, there was a movement in the group. The company parted member by member to let Thorin, Bilbo, and Gandalf through.

"Well, Master Baggins, it would seem that you are not the only member of this company to give our quest a second chance. Oin, patch her up, then I would have words with her," said Thorin. His tone was firm, but not malicious.

"It's good to have you back lass," said Oin with a chuckle, before coming forward to pat me on the back. Once Oin had spoken, he beckoned me over to the company, and I was engulfed in "welcome back"s and "where have you been"s and a resounding "you say you have food?" from Bombur.

Though I must say, my best welcome back was from Kili. The dark haired dwarf prince marched straight up to me, grinning, and proclaimed "Aria, you look horrible! Good to see you!" and he clapped me on the back.

"The lad's right. I've got some emergency medical supplies that should suffice for the time being," said Oin, stepping away from the group. I followed him over to one of the twin rock ledges between which Thorin had been laid down by the eagle only minutes ago.

I sat on the rock ledge while Oin produced a small pouch and waterskin from one of his coat pockets, and handed them to me. I tried to take both with my right hand and had to put them down on the ledge next to me to avoid dropping them completely.

"Is there something amiss with your left arm lass?" Oin asked.

I nodded. "I injured it, but I don't know how badly. I was in a tight position, and my arm was jerked upward at an odd angle," I said, trying to phrase my explanation so that I wouldn't have to tell the entire story of my encounter with Azog and the wargs.

"Did you hear a popping sound at the point of injury?" asked Oin.

"I did. And then it became very painful, and now it's hard to move," I said.

"I see. May I?" asked Oin, gesturing to my arm. I nodded my assent, and he examined my arm carefully. It took him only seconds to look up from my arm and say what I was hoping not to hear.

"Dislocated," he said simply.

"Which means?" I asked.

"Which means that it will have to be relocated, and soon too," Oin said matter of factly.

"Does it hurt?" I queried.

"I wish I could say that it didn't, but if you need time, we can look after your other injuries first," he said kindly.

I nodded, and Oin opened the pouch that I had laid on the rock. Inside were some bandages and a vial of what looked like herbal ointment.

He wet one of the bandages in water from his waterskin, and handed it to me, telling me to wipe the blood from under my nose, and the dirt from around my face. I did so with relish, enjoying the feeling of the cool cloth against my skin.

"Is my nose broken too?" I asked when this was finished.

"No lass in that at least, I can give you good news," Oin said, chuckling ruefully.

In relief, I exhaled loudly and tried to run my right hand through my hair. I say tried because my fingers quickly became entangled in the thicket of it. I gave up quickly and took another deep breath. I shook my head in resignation. I short time ago, I had thought my death inevitable. I should take the pain with thanks that I was still alive to feel it. From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the dwarves detach himself from the group.

"What's going to happen?" I asked Oin shakily.

I will maneuver your arm back into place. Not difficult to do, but it's going to be painful, but the most important thing to remember is remain calm. If you tense, you'll only cause yourself more pain," Oin told me in no uncertain terms.

"Do it," I said bleakly.

"Do what?" asked Fili, for it was he who had come over from the company.

I turned my head to face him, but I was mystified as to what to say. Not because his question confused me, but because I remembered my realization from the previous night.

"Is she alright Oin?" he proceeded to ask.

This question helped me find my tongue.

"I'm fine. I can also talk by the way," I said tiredly, wishing Fili would just ask my opinion on the subject.

"She'll be right as rain in just a moment," Gloin put in.

"What do you mean Oin? Aria, why aren't you fine now?" Fili asked. A look of concern pervading his features.

"I dislocated my shoulder early this morning, and it's got to be fixed," I told him straightforwardly.

"Which is something that'd best be done now," said Oin, cutting across Fili, who had been about to speak.

"Let's get it over with," I practically whispered.

"Try to relax" said Oin, moving to stand by my left side. Fili moved out of Oin's way, and for a moment, I thought he was going to leave. However, he simply moved to stand by my right side. Oin took my limp arm, and raised it, pulling it slightly away from my body. The eruption of pain in my shoulder caused me to gasp aloud and shut my eyes tight. My free hand was gripping the rock beside me, my knuckles were white.

I gasped loudly at the sudden intensity of the pain.

"You have to relax, or this isn't going to work," said Oin firmly.

I just nodded and attempted to relax. My injured arm went limp, but the other still gripped the rock.

"I'm going to try again now," Oin warned me.

The pain was if anything, worse when Oin made the second attempt to fix my arm. I didn't scream out loud, but I gripped the stone with my right hand so tightly that I thought rock beneath me would break away from the slab. In those moments I was caught in a sightless world, burning with agony.

A new sensation entered this world. My focus was solely on the affliction of my left arm, so I only just noticed that my fingers no longer gripped the stone, and my body had relaxed slightly.

A thunking sound and a considerable reduction in the amount of pain in my arm and shoulder told me that my arm had (at last) been put back where it belonged.

"Is it over?" I asked childishly.

"Eye, we got there in the end," chuckled the old healer.

"Now, I'd best be getting back to the company. Take a moment, then go to Thorin. He wants a word with you. Oh, and you said you had provisions?" Oin finished.

"I'll bring them over in a moment," I said shakily.

Oin turned, and retreated back towards the company.

"Are you alright?" asked Fili, as soon as Oin was out of earshot.

"Well that's going on my list of top ten most painful experiences," I said, laughing tiredly.

Fili, who was now sitting next to me, looked at me with a mixture of relief and incredulity on his face.

"You have a list?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," I sighed.

"Aria, how did that happen to you?" he asked quietly.

"Well at first, everything went as planned. I left Rivendell shortly after all of you did and followed you until last night," I began to tell him.

"What happened last night?" Fili queried.

"I realized that that was the night you were all going to be caught in the storm, so I decided to sleep through it in the foothills and carry on after it was over. Unfortunately, Azog the Defiler had other plans. He and his orc pack passed my campsite last evening, and-"

"What did you do?" Fili cut in.

"I was getting to that, if you'd give me a moment," I teased.

I didn't want the mood of the conversation to be more dire than it already was.

"To make a long story short..." I told him the whole story, leaving nothing out save for the one thing I didn't have the courage to tell him. The thing that, as I looked at him, I was becoming more and more certain of.

"Got the wretched thing back though, I killed it with my dagger. The eagles picked me up, and now I'm sitting here. On a rock. Quite a bit higher up than I'd like to be, but still, it's better than being a warg snack," I said, as quickly as possible.

Not only did I want to avoid thoughts of the previous night, but I also wanted to make it sound as if nothing too terrible had happened.

"You must have been terrified," Fili said worriedly.

"Yes. I was Terrified that I wouldn't make it back to the company. Terrified that I was going to die. I was terrified because there were things I should have said, and I was too stupid and stubborn to say them before," I said, trailing off into silence.

When the silence wasn't interrupted for several seconds, it occurred to me that Fili thought I was going say something else.

I took a deep breath, turning on the rock to face him, and spoke.

"Fili, I said things in Rivendell that I regret. You deserved an explanation, and I just yelled at you. And I don't blame you if you're angry with me because I acted like an idiot," I babbled out, not entirely sure if I was saying the right thing.

There was another pause, and it was only then that I realized Fili must have taken my hand while Oin was relocating my shoulder. How do I know this? Because as we sat there talking, he was still holding it. He didn't seem to be fully aware of the fact that he'd forgotten to let go, but I wasn't going to remind him.

"You knew you were going to die, and all you could think about was coming back to tell me that you'd been an idiot?"

I just nodded, because I was feeling more and more like an idiot with every passing second. As he continued to speak, he squeezed my hand in reassurance.

"You don't have a single thing to be sorry for. As for me, I was more confused than angry, after that argument. I thought I'd been overbearing and that I'd pushed you over the edge. When I saw you leaving the guesthouse, I had every intention of apologizing. I still owe you that apology," he said in much the same tone that I had spoken in.

I laughed tiredly.

"Did I say something amusing?" he asked.

"No, but this isn't going to work. You're going to be all noble and insist that this was completely your fault, then I'm going to be stubborn and demand you accept my apology," I said.

"So?" he asked.

"So I'm calling a truce. Do you think...Do you think we could put this behind us," I asked him.

A small smile crossed Fili's face. "If I say yes, do I get an explanation?"

I rolled my eyes, the ache in my arm all but forgotten.

"Yes. Now that you know, it would be useless not to tell you everything," I mused.

"No more secrets?" Fili asked.

I looked into his hopeful face, wanting so very badly to say yes, but knowing that there were secrets that I had to keep.

"Three. I get three secrets, and I'll tell you what they are the moment this is all over," I said sincerely.

Fili nodded.

"Alright then, what do you want to know?" I asked, breaking into a smile. I was finally confiding in someone!

"You've known what was and is going to befall us all this time?" Fili asked.

I nodded, still smiling.

"How long have you known?" he queried.

I had to think for a moment before answering.

"Since I was fourteen years old," I told him decisively.

Fili's jaw dropped momentarily, and he dropped my hand in shock.

"You've known me since you were fourteen? I mean me and everyone else. That's decades!" he exclaimed.

Needless to say, I was confused by this revelation.

"Hang on a moment. Decades? Your math is a little off. That's four years, and unless time works differently here, a decade is ten years," I clarified.

There was a hesitant pause.

"Yes, I do know how long a decade is, but...hold on...Aria, you're eighteen years old?" he asked, incredulously.

This confused me even more. I definitely looked eighteen. I didn't think Fili and Kili could be more than twenty or so, and I was sure I was older than Ori. So why was he looking at me like that? I voiced my concerns.

"Yes. So what if I'm eighteen? I'm of age, and besides you and Kili must be in your twenties," I said.

"You're of age by human terms," said Fili, still looking slightly stunned. "And Kili's seventy-seven. As for me? Eighty-two," he finished.

Now it was my turn to look stunned. "You're eighty-two? Well, that would explain a lot," I paused. "Fili, you said I was of age by human terms?"

"Yes," he said slowly.

"And that whole no secrets thing?" I asked.

"Yes, I remember what you said two minutes ago. Aria, what does this have to do with-" he stopped mid-sentence, and realization seemed to cross his face. "But you can't be. I mean, you're not a...Aria are you human?" he asked.

"No, of course not," I said.

Fili seemed to relax.

"I was human, until that night at Bag End. Obviously, I'm a dwarf now," I trailed off.

"And you still chose to accompany us?" Fili asked quietly.

"Well, yes. I mean I'm here now aren't I?" I queried.

He scrutinized me before abruptly saying, "I have to speak with my uncle, and you'd best be seeing to the food." there was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before.

We stood from the ledge and I grabbed my backpack, being careful to use my right arm, and we made our way back to the company.

I frowned as I followed him. Part of me was nervous about how he had taken my news, and part was worry of what he might do next.

I distributed what food I had, and all were able to eat breakfast. For the first minutes of the meal, all I could do was worry. I'd been completely honest, and I needed to know if his opinion of me had changed. He'd walked away, an edge in his voice as well as in him startling blue eyes.

 _Great Aria, you've just blown any chance you had._

I said to myself before remembering that I didn't have any chance with Fili to begin with.

Was I foolish for wanting one?

I needed time to think, time to be alone. I didn't trust my heart to decide my feelings. The last time I'd done that, I'd spent thirteen years hoping for the love of two careless parents, and I wasn't going to do that to myself again.

All of the dwarves wanted to know how I'd found them, and so I was called on to relay the tale of my own small adventure. By the time I'd finished the full tale, Bofur had started referring to me as warg rider, much to the amusement of everyone present. We ate in good spirits, but I occasionally threw glances to the place where the three Durins stood conversing.

At length, I noticed Kili striding away from his uncle and older brother to join the rest of us, taking a seat to my immediate right.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, oh great prince," I said sarcastically.

Kili threw a glance over his shoulder and turned back to me, speaking in an undertone.

"I haven't slept in two days, and I wasn't up for listening to another row."

"Like a fight?" I asked, perplexed.

Kili just nodded tiredly.

"Who was fighting? What do you mean another one?" I was full of questions concerning this revelation. Thorin and Fili had been the only other two standing with Kili, which meant that they had had a fight. My curious nature was aroused by this deduction, and I ached to know what they'd fought about.

Why?

Because Fili didn't fight with his uncle. Not ever! He and Kili were always obedient and observant to their uncle's will. The two younger dwarrows revered their uncle, so why would Fili step out of line?

Kili appeared to be choosing his reply when Thorin came storming through the group of breakfasting dwarves and issued orders.

"Move out. We've covered more ground this morning than we could have in three days on foot. We make we'll make camp at the foot of this rock and rest until tomorrow. We start at first light."

There was a general murmur of assent from the company, and Kili whispered "later," to me by way of an answer to my previous question.

"Fili, you take the lead, and if you would hang back, I would appreciate it," said Thorin, addressing this last part to me. When his gaze was averted, I looked over to Kili, whose face mirrored the emotion of surprise at Thorin's politeness that I was currently feeling.

"Explain." Was the only word I could think to utter.

Kili just shook his head and repeated what he had said only moments ago.

"Later."

This made me even more curious than I had been before.

I did as Thorin had ordered, and once the entire company had filed past me and begun the descent down the steep rough hew staircase, the dwarf spoke.

"Why did you come back?" he posed the question that I had dreaded being asked, for I could not respond with a nod or a simple answer. I gulped before answering slowly, with painstaking care not to reveal anything overly crucial.

With one last glance at the disappearing company, I turned to Thorin.

"I came back because I knew that many perils stood between you and your home, and I didn't even consider letting you face them alone," I told him, for the first time looking him straight in the eye.

He frowned at me upon hearing these words, and I was given no choice but to stand there and wait for a response.

Finally, I got one, though it was unexpected to be sure. "Have I given you any reason to trust me?"

"No," I blurted, without considering my words.

Thorin nodded. "Then how can you show the loyalty that you do to myself and my kin? You are too young to remember the days of Erebor, and I you're no family of mine."

Again, my answer came quickly and simply. "I'm just doing what I know to be right. If you and your kin seek to overcome such evil as a dragon with no army at your back, then what excuse do I have not to follow."

"Well you're a maid for starters," said Thorin.

I felt myself blushing, for Fili had told me enough of dwarrowdams (female dwarves) for me to know that they rarely traveled in such a manner as I was doing.

"I never let that stop me from doing anything," I told him emphatically.

"I see," said Thorin giving me a long hard look.

"Welcome back to the company," Thorin said, motioning for me to begin the descent towards the forest floor.

I nodded my thanks to him and made for the stair. I fully intended on hurrying, for I had a boatload of information that I needed to pry out of Kili. When I reached the edge of the Carrock however, my body decided that it had other ideas.

I gazed over the precipice, and my head spun, a sense of vertigo engulfing me. My knees began to wobble, and my stomach seemed to twist itself into knots at the sight of so much laid out beneath me mere inches away from my trembling feet.

"What?" growled Thorin when I failed to move down the stairs.

"I, uh, it's just, um…" I trailed off. I could barely look at the stairs before me, let alone contemplate descending them.

I heard a heavy sigh from behind me. "It's heights. Isn't it?" came Thorin's voice.

I just nodded slowly.

"The fear won't go away until you're on firm ground," said Thorin in a practiced manner that told me he had dealt with fears of heights before.

"But what if I fall?" I asked, wincing in horror once I remembered just who I was talking to.

"You're worse than Fili. If you fall, then you'll have a quick and relatively painless death. You'll die on impact and probably make a good sized dent in the forest floor. Now, that won't happen if you hold on to the rock face as you descend. If you don't mind, I would like to be down on the ground myself, and there is no way to do that unless you grit your teeth and walk down the stairs," said Thorin in exasperation.

I was so shocked by his little speech that I actually walked down the stairs. I quickly caught up to Nori, who was last in front of me, and it was only then that I was able to fully comprehend what had just happened. The company was moving at a slow pace, for we all knew what would happen if one of us, especially someone near the rear, tripped.

I felt compelled to turn my head to Thorin, who was descending the stairs behind me.

"Thank you," I said quietly, for if he had not spoken, I might still be standing on the Carrock.

Thorin nodded and said "I apologize for my abruptness, but sometimes it's what's best. If I may ask a favor of you, do not tell Fili I told you of his fear of heights, it was rashly done and he does not like the fact widely known," asked Thorin.

"That's odd. He told me about it only days after we met," I observed.

From the look on Thorin's face, I could tell he was surprised.

And I might have been wrong, but did I catch the beginnings of a knowing smile from the stoic dwarf?

It dawned on me then that Fili had told me a closely guarded secret only days after meeting me, and for some reason, this pleased Thorin to no end. (Here I exaggerated, but having only ever seen Thorin smile once, I believe it was well well within my rights to do so.)

With the cogs in my brain now spinning double time, the journey to the foot of the Carrock seemed to take no time at all.

Indeed, before I knew it, we were all on firm ground, and Thorin was posting Fili to watch duty, and ordering Kili to go in search of firewood.

I looked up, tilting my head back to gaze upon the imposing structure of the Carrock. From here, it seemed nothing more than a watchful protector, and I quite liked the idea of spending the rest of the day in its cool shadow.

Looking around me at the beginnings of our campsite, I saw Kili walking into the woods, presumably in search of the aforementioned firewood, and I followed him.

I caught up to the dwarf price with relative ease and joined him.

"Okay, what was THAT all about?" I asked him.

"What was what all about?" Kili asked.

"Oh don't play innocent with me, you know perfectly well what," I nearly snapped.

"If this is what happens when I'm gone for a few days, then I may never leave," I said, my tone unchanging.

"Care to elaborate?" asked Kili, who I was beginning to think was enjoying this.

"Yeah, I care to elaborate! Thorin's never trusted me, and he's always been gruff when speaking to me. Why is he being so polite all of a sudden? Also, since when do Fili and Thorin get into fights?"

To my surprise, Kili laughed.

"I suppose you're right. Gess having a maiden around must have had a civilizing effect on us," Kili told me through his mirth.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, refusing to crack a smile.

"Well, let me just tell you what happened while you were away," said Kili, sobering, if only a little.

* * *

 **Oh no, what possibly could have happened to make Fili and Thorin fight? Also, was it just me, or was Thorin actually being civil towards Aria? Guess we'll just have to ask Kili, but in the meantime, I'd love to know what you think on the matter!**


	18. Dreams and Disasters

Just a warning, I am heading into testing season and it might be a few weeks until I can update again...look on the bright side, next chapter starts DOS. In the meantime, here's one more.

* * *

 **Translations**

ammâ=mommy or mama...familiar form of mother

ammâd=formal use of mother

dwarrow=male dwarf

dwarrowdam=female dwarf

 **Chapter 18**

"I'm listening," I said expectantly.

Kili nodded and began his explanation.

"Well, the morning that we left Rivendell, Fili insisted that you be allowed to come with us. I swear he acted as if our lives depended on it," contemplated Kili.

I laughed dryly. Kili was right. Their lives had depended on it, and Fili had known that. "Anyway, Thorin turned him down flat. My dear older brother wouldn't take no for an answer, and he told Thorin that leaving you behind would be disastrous to the company. Thorin demanded to know why, and Fili said that it wasn't his secret to give away, and...uh…" Kili seemed to search for words.

"Well, what did Thorin say?" I asked impatiently.

"It's actually rather funny. Thorin told Fili, and quite loudly too, that nothing short of the two of you being secretly married would convince him to bring you along. Of course, everyone laughed, but Fili disappeared for nearly half an hour afterward," Kili told me, trying to keep a straight face.

"I know where he went," I told Kili. "He helped me follow you out of Rivendell."

"Yeah, I thought so," said Kili triumphantly. "Nori owes me five silver pieces, remind me about that will you?" said Kili, bending to pick up a good size branch as he did.

"Is that all?" I asked, ever so slightly disappointed in Kili's story.

"No, the real fight happened after we got into the goblin tunnels. Fili and Thorin hadn't spoken once in three days, and then the filthy Goblin King told us he was going to torture us and then he started gloating over his victory. To make a long story short, Fili took that opportunity to berate Thorin," here Kili paused for dramatic effect, and if he was hoping for a response he got one.

My eyes widened in shock! I couldn't believe that Fili had argued with Thorin in such a dire situation.

"What about?" I asked dumbly.

"You, ya thick head," said Kili.

"What?" I asked loudly.

"Shh, I don't want the entire company listening in. Fili was more angry than I've seen him get in years, and he implied that it was Thorin's fault if we were all killed and you were left stranded and alone in the wild. In fact, I've only ever seen my brother that angry on two different occasions," said Kili, obviously expecting me to ask what the two occasions had been.

However, it was a moment before I caught the hint. I'd argued with Fili in Rivendell, but even then, he kept his cool. I couldn't imagine him ever getting angry...And on my account no less!

"What occasions?" I asked Kili.

"Well, a few years ago, Fili, Dwalin, and I were taking care of some business down at a tavern in the blue mountains, and two of the tavern goers had a little too much to drink. My ammâd and Freya came to bring us some news, though I forget what it was, and the drunks yelled around a hundred of the most foul insults I had ever heard in their directions. By the time we got to him, we practically had to hold Fili down. I think he was bent on killing both of them, but we talked him out of it." Kili saw my concerned face and tried to lighten the story. "Ever since, those two poor fools have been the aim of every single prank we have ever pulled. If it works well on those two buffoons, then we pull it on a family member... What?" He asked.

"Who's Freya?" I queried. My voice was barely above a whisper. I wasn't even interested in hearing the second story, for this one simple detail of the first had troubled me deeply.

"Who's Freya? Oh, you'd love her. She's my sister!" said Kili, grinning at the thought.

The next question sprang unbidden to my lips.

"Is she your sister by birth or marriage?" I asked.

"What? Uh, sister by birth. Why would you ask if she was my sister by marriage? She couldn't be, unless she was Fili's-" Kili stopped, his face betraying a mind deep in thought. I bit my lip as I saw Kili's facial expression slowly begin to change, widening into a smug smile.

"Aria?" he asked.

"What." I stated, for it was a challenge, not a question.

The smile remained affixed to its owner's face.

"Remember the night you caught me writing in my travel log?" Kili asked.

"It was a journal, and I still might tell everyone about that," I told him, my tone warning, but not maliceful. Why was he bringing this up now?

"It was a travel log, and no, I don't think you will be telling anyone," he said, now positively grinning.

"And why is that?" I demanded.

Kili cleared his throat and repeated the words I had said only moments before. "Is she your sister by birth or marriage?" he asked.

I felt my face grow uncomfortably hot and remembered something Fili had told me. That I was a terrible liar.

"I knew it!" said Kili.

"Knew what?" I asked, trying to salvage what dignity I had left.

"You're blushing," he said quietly, and bridging the distance between us, he lifted an arm from the bundle of branches that he had been collecting, and placed two fingers just below the left side of my jaw. "And," he continued speaking, "unless I'm much mistaken, maidens don't have pulses that are naturally much quicker than us lads. Yours is much quicker that it should be, which means, you're nervous," He said, retracting his hand to once more give full balance to his armful of branches.

He knew. This could turn out to be an unqualified disaster.

"You can't tell anyone," I whispered desperately. I would be mortified beyond belief if Fili found out.

"I won't, if you don't tell anyone about my writing… How long have you known?" he asked, seeming interested.

"Since last night. Realizing you're moments away from death tends to do that to a person," I shrugged, embarrassed that Kili and I were discussing my feelings for his older brother.

"I won't tell anyone," Kili promised again. "But you won't be offended if I start calling you princess, will you?" he teased.

"If you start calling me princess, I will set about you with one of Dwalin's war axes!" I said, a tone of amusement creeping into my voice and soothing my nerves.

"I'd be fine! You don't even know how to use a war ax!" he said, laughing.

"I know they're heavy," I said, completely seriously.

"Right you are, and my lips are sealed. Now let's get this lot back to camp," conceded Kili, and we headed back through the woods with Kili's load of branches. He with a knowing grin on his face, and me with a growing sensation of worry in the pit of my stomach.

It was a short time later that I fell asleep, the dancing flames of our little fire pulling my eyes shut.

The majority of the company had already done so, but Oin had forced me to wait up, saying that his memory must be as bad as his hearing, for he had forgotten to attend to my arm properly. Attending to my arm, had meant putting it in a makeshift sling comprised of the leftover bandages in Oin's "first aid kit". At long last, this was all over, and I went to sit beside Fili, who was absent-mindedly flicking small twigs into the flames of the campfire.

I had debated whether or not to do this, but I decided that it was what I would have done before realizing my feelings, and I was determined not to let my heart get in the way of the relationship we already had. Fili was a dear friend that I wasn't going to lose over my emotions. When I sat down, he tiredly asked if I was feeling better, and I gave a nod to show that I was. For awhile we just sat there in the quiet lull of the mostly sleeping camp, our backs resting against the base of the Carrock. We didn't talk, but the sense of quiet companionship spoke volumes to me.

I had been watching the flames for so long that I barely noticed my eyelids becoming heavy and slipping shut at last.

* * *

 _The dream was different than ones from the past._

 _The scene fell into place around me, settling like an early morning mist over the countryside. I was sitting in a comfortable armchair. But I did not recognize the room that held it. Daylight streamed into the room around me through a series of shafts artfully hewn into the walls and ceiling. Though there were no windows, the room was bathed in sunlight. Upon further inspection, I decided that I did indeed love this room, for it was full to bursting with books!_

 _Tall cases of dark wood and jade stone held a private library unlike any I had seen before. The room felt altogether more homely than the library in Rivendell had, and the spiraling staircase that led to the second and third levels of the room, was not so shallow as to cause me any fear of heights._

 _I looked around the room to see a large oaken table only feet from my chair, and across from it, another great armchair, the homely atmosphere was enhanced by an elaborate rug covering a great portion of the room._

 _I stood to better see what lay out upon the table. It was covered with several maps, documents, books, and what looked like battle strategies. These fascinated me, so I crossed to the table, and picked one up. I was in for a shock when I realized that they, unlike the rest of the contents of this table, were written in English!_

 _My second shock came when I recognized them to be in my own handwriting!_

 _Why on this good green earth was I writing up battle strategies? I mentally berated my possible future self for whatever I'd done to deserve that job and decided to explore the library. Having decided upon this, I set about running my hands over the spines of books. They weren't dusty or in lack of repair, but they had that delightful smell that only old books could bring to a room. I started to hum a song that I remembered from my childhood and felt myself at peace. I continued in this way until I heard one of the rooms great double doors slide open, and someone came inside. The footsteps were so quiet that they could only have belonged to a child. I stopped humming and turned to face the small one._

 _I fully expected it to be one of the children I had seen in my dreams before. I was especially hoping for it to be Filip, with his Durin blue eyes and curly blond hair, but instead it was a girl who could have fit much the same description, save for her hair which had chocolate highlights running through it, and her eyes, which were a deep blue that matched mine to a fault. She looked to be very young, just out of toddlerhood in fact._

" _You must've just brushed your hair," I said almost to myself, for the girl's wildly curly locks had puffed out in volume in much the same way that my own hair did after a brush was taken to it._

" _Did I do okay? Are you gonna check it for tangles? Because that hurts sometimes and I wanna be ready," the little girl said, looking me straight in the eye._

 _I was on the verge of asking her if she could see me, but that much was obvious, so I decided to play along with this dream child._

" _No, I won't check it. It looks wonderful, but don't brush it during the day. Unless you like it that fluffy," I advised._

" _Sometimes I wish I had Filip's hair," pouted the girl. "He doesn't have to brush it this much!"_

 _When she said this, I realized that of course, she was another Durin. And she knew Filip too. I wondered if they were siblings._

" _Well, Filip can't braid his hair, can he?" I asked._

" _Not yet, I guess. What were you doing when I came in?" she asked._

" _Humming?" I tried._

" _Yeah, humming. How do you do that? Is it like whistling where only some people can do it?" she asked quizzically._

 _This made me laugh lightly. A laugh I'd never heard before._

" _No, everyone can hum. Here, let me teach you," I said, holding my hand out to the little girl._

 _She took it, and the moment she did, I could tell that we were in some way connected._

 _It was the strangest and most alien feeling I had ever experienced. I suddenly felt an urge to protect this little child, to make sure that no harm ever befell her. To make sure that she was loved wherever she went._

" _Nothing's happening," the little girl said forlornly, pulling my gaze away from our hands._

" _Well, I should hope not, humming's just singing with your mouth closed," I said, laughing again._

 _I lead her back to the armchair and sat down. She sat next to me, for there was quite enough room for two on the chair._

" _Think of a song, any song," I said to her._

" _Okay, do I sing now?" she asked._

" _No. Forget the words, and just focus on the melody," I said._

" _Nothing's happening yet," the girl said._

" _Of course not. Now, without opening your mouth, sing the melody. Not the words, just the tune," I said gently._

 _The tune that she began to hum was one that I knew well, so I joined in. Her voice was clear and fine, but higher than mine, so I harmonized. It was a song that I remembered from long in my past, but I knew it well. We hummed nearly the entire song before we were interrupted. I didn't even think to question where she'd learned it._

 _The double doors flew open to reveal a somewhat frantic dwarrowdam, who looked to be around my age. This, of course, meant that she was probably in her late seventies. She had long golden hair that fell like silk down her back. It's only interruption being the four long braids woven into the hair at her temples and at the back edges of her jawbone._

 _I could now see why dwarves preferred women with facial hair (though it really was only the lengths of her sideburns and the hair at her jaw bone), for she was truly a beauty. Her eyebrows and lashes were strong and thick, while her face was feminine and defined by strong cheekbones and soft brown eyes._

" _Fira, there you are, you little scamp! I've looked all over the mountain for you, and now I find you in the one place you were told not to be!" said the flustered dwarrowdam._

" _I'm not allowed in the dwarrows privy either, silly," laughed the little girl. Seeing the newcomer's look of disapproval, her face sobered._

" _I'm sorry Aunt Freya, I couldn't help it!" pleaded the girl, whose name seemed to be Fira._

 _So we were in Erebor then._

" _I'm so sorry Aria, I said I'd watch her and I'm making a fine mess out of it," Freya apologized._

" _She wasn't bothering me in the slightest, but if you two have somewhere else to be, don't let me stop you," I told her._

 _It was only then that the name clicked in my mind. Freya! Fili and Kili's younger sister._

 _Fira's aunt._

 _It wasn't hard for me to guess the girl's father once I was given a choice. She was Fili's._

 _Freya walked across the room and swept Fira up into her arms._

 _They made to leave, but as they reached the door, Freya turned to face me._

" _Do you think you'll emerge for dinner?" she asked._

" _Why wouldn't I?" I asked, actually wanting to know._

" _Well, you've just been so diligent about finishing those plans, but if you will be making an appearance...Please don't tell my brother that I lost another one of his children in this blasted mountain!" Freya implored._

 _I smiled. Kili had been right in saying that I would love his sister. I wondered what it would be like to have her as a friend._

" _I won't," I assured her._

" _Wait! Don't go yet!" Fira urged her aunt._

 _With these words, she squirmed out of her Freya's grasp and ran back to where I was still seated. Without hesitation, the little girl threw her arms around my neck in an embrace. I found myself embracing her back, feeling the same way that I had when I'd felt her small hand in mine._

 _And then she was letting go._

 _Fira beckoned me close to her with a finger, so I leaned in towards her._

 _She gave me a simple kiss on the cheek and then whispered something into my ear._

" _I love you ammâ."_

 _And then she was gone, running away, towing her frazzled aunt by the hand._

 _I reached up to the place on my cheek where she had kissed me._

" _What the blazes does ammâ mean?" I asked the empty room._

 _It must be in informal term of some sort, or I surely would have understood it._

 _I slumped in the chair, trying to comprehend what had just happened._

 _I attempted to run my hands through my hair but was stopped. Not by a tangle, but by something metal in my hair._

 _Aria, what are you doing? Locked in a library drawing up military documents, wearing metal headbands, and teaching little dwarves how to hum._

 _I laughed to myself. If this was my future, I just wanted to know how I'd gotten here._

* * *

Consciousness returned slowly. As I realized that I was once more sitting on firm ground, I wanted to go back to the cozy armchair in the library.

The great room had also been sunny, and from what I could tell, all light had gone from our campsite, save for that of the ever-flickering fire.

After the realization that I had slept through all of that day, and part of the night, my mind was quick to sharpen.

In doing so, I came to another realization. I wasn't lying down, but neither was I sitting in the position in which I had fallen asleep!

I was leaning against something, but it wasn't until my eyes drifted open that I realized what it was.

My head had come to rest on Fili's shoulder while my mind had been occupied in its dreams of the future.

I felt an immediate wave of embarrassment flood over me.

This was followed closely by the sense of peace with which I had awakened. I was an idiot for sure, but no one seemed to notice. I moved my head ever so slightly, to see who was up and about, to find the entire camp out cold.

I sighed quietly.

Fili didn't return my feelings, and he never would. He was destined to marry some beautiful dwarrowdam, and have two perfect children, so who could begrudge me this small gesture. After all, he didn't even know, for the dwarf prince was as asleep as the rest of the company.

I repositioned my head and stared once more into the light of the fire. After I'd had time to make sure that my feelings were not just brought on by warg induced hysteria, I made up my mind to carry the burden given to me.

I had had feelings for fictional characters before, and they had never been reciprocated. This too would pass eventually.

I had to work hard to push away that small part of my mind that had always known my feelings. The part that was whispering to me that the other fictional characters hadn't let me sleep with my head on their shoulder. The more logical part of my pointed out that he didn't know.

"Aria, are you awake?" asked Fili, his voice a whisper.

I amend my previous statement. The dwarf prince was NOT as asleep as the rest of the company!

"Mmhm," was all the indication that I could give.

"Are you any better?" he asked quietly.

"Much better, thank you," I said, rather formally, waiting for him to request that I sit up straight.

The request never came.

"I think I could watch that fire forever," Fili said absentmindedly.

He wasn't searching for conversation, just stating a thought.

"It's almost alive," I murmured, saying aloud what I had been thinking.

Something seemed to occur to Fili because he chuckled for apparently no reason.

"What?" I asked, wondering what he had found so amusing.

"My ammâ told me once that if I'd been a maiden they would have named me after the fire," he said.

"Dwarves are so strange in their-" I stopped, recalling Fili's words. "What do you mean by 'ammâ'? I know it's got to be informal, because I don't understand what it means," I said, eager to know just what little Fira had called me in that dream.

"Informal? It's just about the most informal word there is. It's short for ammâd, which means-"

"Mother," I finished for him. The last piece fell into place. Of course I had felt a connection to Fira. She was my child.

The dream, I decided, must have been just that. A dream concocted for my pleasure, and only to be remembered as such. It was impossible even to hope that that dream might come true. I had all but set it behind me when Fili spoke again.

"Of course I wouldn't have been named Fire, even my parents had more tact than that." he told me in good humor.

"Oh? And What would you have been called then?" I asked, doing my best to keep a steady tone in my voice.

"The more I think about it, the more I like the name. Not for me of course, but _Fira_ does have a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He asked me.

I was so shocked to hear the name, that I sat bolt upright.

"What troubles you?" he asked.

And I found myself telling Fili about the dream.

Well, all but what little Fira had said to me before our parting. After all, three secrets were all I had, and my feelings for Fili were at the top of that short list. Revealing that the impossible little girl for that dream had been mine as well as his could only mean that I'd dreamt of us being married and I knew that could never happen.

"I'd pass that off as a mere dream, but you've described my sister perfectly, as well as the royal library at Erebor, from what I'm told of that place. Do you really think this might happen?" he asked. I caught onto a slight undertone of hope, threading through his words, and decided not to crush it.

Aloud I said, "Who can say?"

In my mind, I said, "If only."

* * *

So, Kili knows. He'd better not start calling her "princess" or she might actually set about him with an ax! I'd love to hear what you think of the chapter, and any thoughts you might have about the latest vision/dream.


	19. Double the Threat, Twice the Running

**Be Warned:** This chapter is going to be a little on the short side. I've still got one more big test (tomorrow) so I havn't been able to edit many chapters together. I should be back to longer chapters and weekly postings by Sunday. Until then, here's the first chapter of book two, and the official start of DOS.

 **Book 2: The Desolation of Fate**

 **Chapter 19**

The next day's travels brought us into the crags surrounding the Carrock. We (and by we, I mean four of the dwarves) had been able to hunt down several sturdy hares to breakfast on. Shortly afterward, we broke camp, and just as Thorin wished, we were well on our way by day break.

We had been making good time when we heard the first howl. It was distant to be sure, but the high pitched sound hung in the air and alerted the company to the fact that the pack was now back on the hunt. We paused as one, turning our heads towards the sound.

Though the weather was temperate, I shivered in remembrance of their matted fur and fetid odor.

"Push on! Once we've reached higher ground we can send a scout, but until then, we cannot afford to remain idle here," Gandalf had instructed us.

We hadn't hesitated in following his instructions, and we'd continued on our way.

Now we waited. Once we reached a small clearing high in the crags, Gandalf had appointed Bilbo as our scout and sent him to locate the pack from a safe distance.

The rest of us were waiting, some more patiently than others, in a clearing nearby. The dwarves spread out across the clearing. Some talked, and others stood in expectant silence.

I joined Fili and Kili, who were speaking in hushed tones to one another. They didn't seem to view my presence as an intrusion, but instead included me in their conversation.

"He would have yelled to warn us. Even wargs can't kill that quickly," Kili was saying.

"That may be, but he's taking an awfully long time," Fili countered.

I surmised they were referring to Bilbo's unusually long absence.

"The wargs didn't catch Bilbo," I whispered pointedly.

"See, that's what I've been trying to say," Kili whispered back.

Fili and I made eye contact, and he raised his eyebrow ever so slightly.

I nodded once.

The communication was simple but effective. In that small gesture, I had told him all he needed to know. The hobbit was safe.

"Kili, didn't you say you'd won a bet? I believe Nori owes you some money, and it would be best to collect it while he's nervous. Less chance of him trying to cheat you out of it, right?" I addressed Kili.

"That's not a bad idea. I knew you would be handy to have around," said Kili, the note of worry gone from his tone of voice.

As the younger dwarf turned and walked away, I let out a sigh of relief. The less time I spent in the company of both Fili and Kili together, the better. Kili had promised not to reveal what I had told him, but that didn't mean that he couldn't start calling me "princess". Fili was one of the most intelligent people I had ever met, and it wouldn't be hard for him to figure out what the joke meant. I didn't think I would be able to look at him if he knew.

To my surprise, Fili let out a similar sigh as his brother crossed the clearing.

I wondered why.

"I was going to thank you. Kili told me what you said to Thorin while I was away, and I wouldn't be here if you hadn't said it," I told Fili.

"When did you talk to Kili?" he asked.

"On firewood duty yesterday," I said simply.

"What did you talk about?" Fili asked suspiciously.

"Why the sudden interest?" I countered impishly, my eyebrows raised.

"I asked him to, well, nevermind. I was just wondering," Fili said hesitantly.

I frowned, used to hearing Fili so sure in everything he said. Fili never hesitated!

"Oh, in that case, I asked him to tell me what happened between you and Thorin, and he obliged," I shrugged.

Fili nodded and changed the subject abruptly.

"Is Bilbo going to be much longer?" he asked.

"I'm not saying," I told him, crossing my arms.

"Why not?" asked Fili.

"Because we agreed that I get three secrets. The future is one of them," I said decisively.

"What are the other two, I wonder," Fili wanted to know.

"The second one is how this all ends because I don't fully know yet," I told him.

"And the third?" asked Fili.

I gulped. No. I wasn't even going to hint at the third reason.

"The third one's pretty self-explanatory, so I think I'm going to keep it to myself," I said with a small smile.

"Keep what to yourself?" asked Kili, who had come back, his hand closed over what I assume was the money he'd won from Nori.

"Nothing," I said quickly. This conversation was hitting a little too close to home for me, and I was not about to let Kili involve himself. Kili was brave and fearless in battle, he was protective and kind hearted, but he also enjoyed a good laugh and I didn't want to tempt him.

I definitely didn't want him calling me a princess!

I threw a searching glance around the clearing to see that Bilbo had finally returned!

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asked as the hobbit descended into our clearing.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it," the hobbit replied. He was out of breath and seemed to have run the entire way back to us.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin asked hurriedly.

"Not yet, but they will; we have another problem," warned the hobbit. The dwarves drew into a circle around Bilbo, so as to listen more closely to him.

I knelt on the ground and started to unfasten my cloak. I knew we would be running again soon, so I wanted the cloak in my backpack where I couldn't trip over it.

"Did they see you? They saw you!" Gandalf jumped quickly to the worst conclusion.

"No, that's not it," Bilbo said, still slightly out of breath.

This caused Gandalf to smile and turn knowingly to the dwarves and smiled.

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material." He nodded, confident in the abilities.

The dwarves chuckled loudly in appreciation of Bilbo. Bilbo only looked exasperated that no one was hearing him out.

"Will you listen- Will you just listen? I'm trying to tell you there is _something else_ out there." he pointed into the darkness.

At this, the dwarves threw their fair share of worried glances around the clearing.

From where I was kneeling, I could see the wizard's face darken.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" he asked darkly.

"Ye..." Bilbo began, pausing to frown at Gandalf's knowledge of what he had seen.

"Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger." the hobbit finished.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked, turning to Gandalf.

Gandalf turned and took a few steps from the company.

"I say we double back," Bofur said nervously.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs." Thorin put in.

"There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge," Gandalf told them.

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin questioned.

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us." The wizard said bleakly.

The dwarves looked at each other in dismay.

"What choice do we have?" Thorin asked.

The roar of a mighty bear split the early morning air, sending shivers down our spines.

The wizard's reply was simple and absolute "None."

As if by unspoken consensus, we fled the clearing. Our hurried path through the crags may have been treacherous, we paid no heed. The company of Thorin Oakenshield was far to preoccupied with the dangers we faced to notice the path before us.

Picking our way through the foot lands took longer than anybody was comfortable with, especially since I took longer than most of the company. My bandaged arm proved to be a hindrance, and I soon found that it made climbing over rocks and boulders into an arduous and painful task.

I quickly fell behind and began to feel helpless. The rest of the company picked their way over the rocks much more quickly, although some were more decidedly more graceful than others. I was forced to stop after clambering over yet another rock formation. The effort caused pain to lance through my healing shoulder, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to catch up to my companions.

Kili's quick eyes were the first to notice my absence, and he doubled back to help me.

"Are you trying to be left behind?" he asked jokingly as he reached me.

"Yes, I'd love to have a repeat of the other night. Warg riding is so exhilarating," I said sarcastically.

Kili helped me quickly over the next few boulders, and we were beginning to catch up when Kili spoke.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you looked disappointed when you saw me coming," he teased.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"I just assumed you would have preferred Fili to come to your rescue," he winked.

"Why you-you" I spluttered.

"Have I offended you?" Kili asked in mock worry.

"No," I said emphatically. "You've made me mad!"

"Good," laughed Kili. "You'll walk faster," he said.

After this, my pace quickened, and before I knew it, we had caught up to the company.

Before long, we left the crags behind us and took to the flatlands. The occasional howl or roar in the distance warned us to run. We sped quickly through the flatlands, eventually coming to a stream. It didn't look deep, but nevertheless, I hesitated. It's clear rippling waters would be freezing, and unlike the dwarves, I had no sturdy boots to keep the cold water out.

"Oh for Pete's sake," I chastised myself, rolling my eyes at my own stupidity before running straight into the stream.

"This is freezing!" I yelped as the water soaked through my converse.

"Do you want every warg in the area to know we're here?" asked Fili, grabbing my uninjured hand in his as he passed me.

"No point! They've already found us!" I answered as I was nearly dragged through the stream. Once we were on dry land again, he let go so that I pick up the pace.

My waterlogged shoes were determined to drag me back, but I rushed on ahead in defiance. Maybe some human blood still lingered in my veins, for though I had never been fast, I was easily outpacing many of the dwarves.

I remembered Gimli's words from the Lord of the Rings; that dwarves were natural sprinters and were very dangerous over short distances. I, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble outpacing them over long distances.

I suppose it didn't hurt that by comparison to the dwarves, I was rather lanky.

Though the wargs were close behind us, I knew that as long as I could keep up with the company, I would be fine.

So, I started doing possibly the strangest thing I could have done in that situation. I started enjoying the run. The feeling of the wind in my hair as I rushed along the countryside with my companions.

This mad thought didn't last long however, for my senses quickly became aware of new discomforts.

I was beginning to wonder how much longer we would have to keep up the pace, for my legs were beginning to protest at the effort of running. It was not until Gandalf had led us into a grove of trees before we were permitted a blessed rest.

Another great roar ripped through the air nearby, and we all instinctively halted, searching about wildly for the origin of the noise. I shivered at the pure power of the beast's voice, a haunting and forceful power to be reckoned with.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted to us.

Once more, we were on the move, the downhill run through the woods lending speed to our feet. It wasn't long before we could see a strech of open ground before us, with Beorn's gated residence at the other side.

"To the house!" Gandalf yelled, beckoning us towards the sizeable walled house that was a good sprint from our location.

"Run!" The wizard urged.

My legs were really feeling the ache of the long pelt across the countryside, and I was sure that I wasn't alone in the sentiment.

While this might have been true, some of the dwarves were paying full head to Gandalf's instructions. The panicked dwarves were momentarily taken aback by the burst of speed that Bombur (of all people) put on.

He ran right past me and several of the other dwarves and was the first to sprint through the gates to Beorn's great house.

"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf called, stopping at the outer gate to usher the rest of us through.

We ran, taking little to no heed of the beautiful garden now standing around us, for terror was on our heels, and as we reached the doors to the main house, it came bursting out of the trees, roaring in our wake.

The dwarves rammed themselves against the door, trying and failing to open it.

"For pity's sake, there's a latch, I called at nearly the same moment as Gandalf shouted for us to open the door.

The great beast loped towards us, growling as it closed in.

Then the dwarves were parting for Thorin, who quickly located and lifted the latch. We poured inside, with several shouts of terror from the dwarves.

As the bear reached us, one of the dwarves (I couldn't tell who in all of the chaos) pushed me away from where I was standing, right before the gaping jaws of the beast.

The dwarves turned immediately, applying all of their weight to the door as Beorn's scarred muzzle attempted, along with the rest of him, to gain enter to our sanctuary.

From where I stood, I could see Bilbo brandishing sting, so I reached for the hilt of my own dagger, if only to appear as though I were doing something.

Kili's shout of the word push was accompanied by a "come on lads!" from Dwalin.

It was several chaotic seconds of grunting and shoving later that the battle for the door was won and we were able to slide the internal bolt into place.

Those closest to the door turned to lean against it, panting, while we all breathed heavy sighs of relief.

"What is that?" Ori asked Gandalf in shock.

"That is our host," the wizard replied gravely. "His name is Beorn, and he's a skin changer," the Wizard continued, offering a slight smirk that seemed to be purely for his own benefit. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with," here Gandalf paused, and when he spoke once more, his tone spoke a warning. "However, he is not over fond of dwarves," the wizard finished.

At these last words, the dwarves, who had begun to explore the house, threw concerned glances back towards Gandalf.

"He's leaving," Ori practically whispered from where he had his eye pressed to the doorframe.

"Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it," cautioned Dori, who always tended towards superstitions.

"It's obvious, he's under some dark spell," Dori continued, turning to Gandalf as he spoke.

"Don't be a fool. He's under no enchantment but his own," Gandalf scolded, before addressing the rest of us.

"All right now, get some sleep, all of you, you'll be safe here tonight," said Gandalf, reassuring us.

The dwarves began to spread out and talk among themselves. It was for this reason that I barely heard Gandalf's next words.

"I hope."

 **I apologize once more for the brevity of this chapter, the next one is quite a bit longer as far as I can tell. In the meantime, thank you so much for all of the amazing reviews of the story. They give me inspiration and fuel my drive to write :)**


	20. On the Star watching Rock

**Happy Sunday! Finally testing season has come to a close, and surprisingly I'm still alive! Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit fluffy but hey. They needed a break from all the questing.**

 **Chapter 20**

"Must be nearly suppertime. Is there any food around here?" Bofur asked, after a brief silence.

"Ah, yes. Take what you will, but don't touch the animals. I have a feeling that our host would not respond kindly to the knowledge that we'd milked his cows," said Gandalf before taking a seat at Beorn's great table, and producing a pipe from somewhere beneath his robes.

"That's good enough for me!" said Bofur.

"Bombur, Aria, would you two help me rustle up some food?" he finished.

The rest of the company let out a resounding "No!" as soon as the kindly dwarf made this statement.  
"Ouch," I said, folding my arms across my chest.

"Nothing against you, I just like being alive," said Kili from across the room.

"Oh, very funny," I retorted, nearly choking at the implications of his words.

I decided to change the subject. "Shouldn't we close the outer gate now that the beast is gone?" I asked the silent room. I received nothing but stares until Thorin spoke up.

"That we should. Fili, Kili, go with her. Close the gate and report back on the surrounding area," Thorin ordered. I was surprised to see him give me a nod of approval.

Fili and Kili were quick to follow me back to Beorn's great door, where they lifted the bolt and placed it on the floor. I pushed at the doors, and they swung open without much protest. The three of us strolled out passed the skin changer's many bee hives, taking in the late afternoon sun, and the lazy buzzing of insects in the flowering groves around us. We walked to the gate in a weary companionable silence, all three of us exhausted from the exertions of that day.

We reached the main doors and ventured forth only just exceeding their borders. After ascertaining that the area was indeed clear, we retreated back into the safety of the walls.

Fili and Kili each swung a huge gate shut, and (after reaching up on tiptoes) I grabbed the bolt and pulled it down into place.

As soon as the door was securely closed, I turned and slumped to the ground, my back against its cool wood surface. Fili, who had followed Kili back towards the house, paused.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked.

"No. I'll be in shortly, I just need a moment to think," I smiled tiredly.

"Do you need company?" Fili asked, presumably volunteering himself and his brother.

I wanted them to stay, of course I wanted them to stay, but Fili was just as hungry as I was, and I didn't want to be selfish.

"Go inside and get something to eat, I'm just going to take a bit of a walk," I said, pushing myself to my feet.

"Have fun! We're going to go eat," said Kili, throwing his arm over his brother's shoulder.

"Join us when you're ready," said Fili, as he threw his arm over Kili's shoulder. I watched the two march into the house, Kili chuckling about something as they went. The doors closed quietly behind them, and though they were not bolted, I felt a separation from the company that I hadn't even felt in Azog's capture.

I was able to take a step back from recent events, and truly think about what had happened to me.

As I thought, I shrugged my pack off of my shoulders and took out my careworn copy of Romeo and Juliet.

This stressful situation called for a familiar remedy. I crossed to the double doors of the house and set my bag down, before beginning a strole, book in hand, through Beorn's beautiful gardens. Blooming flowers in rich hues sprung up from the ground each way I looked. I didn't remember seeing this part of the house in the films, so I enjoyed it all the more. The rose brackets, the vegetable patch, and a huge slab of rock that stood out in the midst of it all. This particular landmark immediately appealed to me, so I carefully picked my way through the garden towards it. The slab was flat on top, and was only a little higher than my hip, making it easy for me to hoist myself up with just my right arm.

Once on top of the slab, I stretched out, lying on my stomach, one elbow supporting my chin, the other arm opening the book.

I let the words, written in old Shakespearean tongue, calm my nerves. I flipped through the pages, reading as the two star-crossed lovers met and promised themselves to each other. I read as Tybalt was murdered, and Romeo was forced into exile. Juliet was to be married to Paris, though she had already been married to Romeo. I was deep into the book when it occurred to me that I was squinting to see the words before me.

I looked up to see that nothing lighted my page but the moon and stars. I had lost track of time within myself, and as I realized this, I smiled. It was one of my favorite things about reading.

"Aria! Are you out here?" called Kili's voice from near the house.

"I'm over here!" I called back to him.

I heard footsteps approaching, and soon I could see Kili, emerging out of the relative darkness.

"Were you planning on joining us anytime soon, your highness?" he asked in a jovial tone.

This made me simultaneously embarrassed and furious with him. I shushed him loudly.

Kili's only response to this was a lighthearted laugh.

"You've got to stop saying things like that aloud," I told him sincerely.

"There's no one else out here, you don't have a thing to worry about. Speaking of which, uh, why are you still out here?" Kili finished by asking.

"I was reading," I said, sitting up straight.

By this time, Kili had reached me and had no trouble hoisting himself up to sit beside me.

"Reading? Reading what?" he asked.

"Oh, just this old story about this incredible feud between two neighboring families," I began to explain, but Kili interjected.

"Sounds like Erebor and the Woodland Realm. From what Thorin says about those elves, they've been feuding since Smaug laid waste to the mountain."

"It's exactly like that!" I exclaimed.

"Doesn't sound like much of a story though," mused Kili.

"That's not the whole of it. The story's about a lad and a lass, one from each family, who fall in love against their parent's wishes," I said.

"What happens to them?" Kili asked, and I sensed a spark of interest in his voice as he did so.

"Well, the two end their own lives because they believe the other is dead. That action ends up unifying their families. They see the love of their fallen young ones, and they put their hate behind them," I told him frankly.

There was a long pause of silence before Kili spoke.

"And you know the terrible end, but you spend all evening re-reading it?" he queried.

"Yes. I suppose I just love the language. Well, and when I read it, there's always the hope that the end will be different. Always the hope that love might prevail over death," I said, smiling sadly.

Kili thought for a moment before answering.

"Makes me the libraries back home," he said simply.

My jaw dropped. I had never, never in a million years, taken Kili for the type of dwarrow who would spend time reading or studying.

"You what?!" I asked, flabbergasted.

Even in the dim light, Kili could see the surprise on my face, and this made him laugh that infectious laugh of his.

"If you must know, I was always trying to avoid my studies, especially as a youngster. My mother or Thorin would always be finding me off in corners reading about great heroes and adventures. Well, either I was reading about them, or training with weapons to be like them. When we got older, Fili and I would visit the villages of men, and read their legends. For some reason, I always loved the stories about the great deeds and sacrifices of the elves. They're so different from us, yet we share the same beliefs and hopes for the world," Kili trailed off into silence.

"How does Thorin feel about those visits?" I asked.

Kili gave a wry laugh. "Oh, Fili and I never dared to tell him. He never would've approved."

"And your mother?" I asked, wanting to know more about Fili and Kili's family.

"Oh, ammâ was the one who advised us not to tell Thorin. She said that we needed to have our own opinions and that we couldn't let the ideas of authority change our convictions in any way," Said Kili, a smile touching his words.

"Well, that explains it then," I said as if the puzzle of the universe had just been solved.

"What explains what?" Kili asked.

"Fili," I laughed. "He's the most stubborn person I know. Sounds like he gets it from your ammâd."

"That's my elder brother. He takes after addâd in looks, but ammâd in character. Just the opposite of me, or so I'm told," Kili shrugged, grinning.

There was a long and satisfied pause before Kili asked a sore question.

"What's your family like?" he asked.

I paused before telling him a little. "Complicated. My mother and father are little more than my legal guardians. They stopped acting like good parents years ago," I said. Now it was my turn to shrug.

"Are they your only family?" Kili asked, trying to remedy the subject.

"Well, my parents were both only children, and I was too, so no aunts uncles, cousins, or siblings. My mother's parents died in a car acc-I mean a sled crash when I was seven," I said, catching myself at the near mention of a car accident.

"And your addâd's parents?" asked Kili.

This question caused me to break into a grin. Apart from falling into middle earth, my grandparents on my father's side represented both the best part of my life, and the part that made the least sense.

"My father thought that they were crazier than a flock of bats. He left home as soon as he was legally allowed to. Never had contact with them again," I said.

"How do you know?" Kili asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I said that my father never had contact with them, not that I never did. As soon as I was old enough, I got into contact with them. They're different than most people. I mean they live in this really remote part of the southern alps in New Zealand, and they go missing quite often, but when I've been able to find their house they're amazing," I said.

"Right, I never have to meet your family, do I? Ever?" Kili asked.

"No, never. Oh, we should be getting in, shouldn't we?" I asked him.

"Yes, on that note, I'm ready for bed," said Kili, and I followed him back through the garden and into the house, picking up my backpack on the way.

When we entered, the house was quiet, and everyone else seemed to have drifted off to sleep.

Kili took a blanket from the stack that had been set near the great carven table. I followed suit, but when Kili made to lie down amidst the hay, I put my foot down. If I slept anywhere near that hay, I would still be pulling little bits of it out of my overly dense, overly curly hair come Durin's Day!

I decided simply to lie down where I stood. This plan worked very well, and I slipped into a quiet and uninterrupted sleep.

Correction: I slipped into a sleep that was neither quiet nor uninterrupted. I woke scarcely hours later, in the dead of night, to a cacophony of snoring.

You see, confined spaces tend to enhance volume. In this case, the volume that had existed as little more than a hum while outside was now my own personal indoor thunderstorm!

"Ugh, men," I said quietly. "I mean dwarrows. I mean...I'm going to sleep on that rock!" I said, maybe a little louder than I had intended.

No one seemed to notice.

The rock slab was chillier than I had expected, but I preferred the cold to the noise, so I shivered and waited for sleep to overtake me.

Soon, the shivers were mixed with a light humming. The tune of a lullaby that I hardly remembered.

Before long, I quietly began to sing the lyrics.

" _Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

 _Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay_

 _And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow…"_

As I sang the next lines, I couldn't help thethoughts of Fili that came to push at the back of my mind.

" _Bless you with love for the road that you go_

 _May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_

 _With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet_

 _And may you need never to banish misfortune_

 _May you find kindness in all that you meet_

 _May there always be angels to watch over you_

 _To guide you each step of the way_

 _To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

 _Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"_

I hummed the melody for a bit longer, waiting for its conclusion to sing the second (and my favorite) verse. I was just about to start, when I heard quiet footsteps approaching me. I stopped humming, and a lump began to form in my throat. I sat up, squinting to make out who it could be. I recognized Fili's self-assured strides immediately and relaxed ever so slightly. I was startled, but he'd heard me sing before and this was nothing new.

"You're up late!" I called to him by way of a greeting.

"I could say the same about you!" he called back.

He reached my rock slab. "So what brings you out here so late at night?" I asked.

"I saw you leaving, and thought you might be cold," he said nonchalantly, offering me an extra blanket that he had brought out of the house.

"You're right. Thanks." I said, taking the blanket.

"Would you mind me joining you up there?" he asked tiredly.

"Of course not," I said, yawning as I did so.

When Fili was seated comfortably beside me, he posed a question.

"So, why are we out here?"

"I couldn't sleep. It was just too loud!" I said, massaging my temples.

"What do you mean, too loud? Everybody in there was out cold when I woke up," Fili said in confusion.

"Exactly," I said tiredly.

"I'm not sure I follow you," he said, in a voice just as worn out as mine.

"You snore," I said bluntly.

"I most certainly do not snore!" Fili said in exhausted outrage.

"You do so. Not as badly as Bombur or Gloin, but you do snore," I persisted.

"I do not. I think I would know if I snored," said Fili, as if this was the argument to end all others.

"How? You're asleep the whole time," I said, my words punctuated by a yawn.

"Alright, you have a point," he said tiredly.

"I know, that's why I said it," I told him, before realizing how absurd my words sounded and breaking out into laughter.

"That wasn't funny you know, you laugh at the strangest things," Fili said, looking at me as if he was trying hard to figure me out.

"I laughed because this entire conversation has been the most ridiculous interaction I've had in a long time," I said in an amused tone.

"That's saying something, considering you were out here with Kili half the evening," said Fili, now chuckling himself. Turning to me, he asked a question.

"So, were you singing because you liked the words, or was it to drown out my snoring?"

I laughed at this. "I had only just remembered the words, and I wanted to sing them. And I did say you weren't as bad a snorer as some of the others," I said, nudging his shoulder as I finished.

"So you did...were you finished when you saw me coming?" he asked.

"No, I had one more verse left," I said, not exactly sure why he was asking.

"Would you finish?" Fili asked quietly.

"You want me to sing?" I queried nervously. I wasn't used to singing for other people. Not on purpose anyway.

"You have a captivating voice. It's almost unearthly," Fili told me in earnest.

"Alright," I whispered. A lump was forming in my throat. The one thing that I knew I could do well, and I was nervous to do it.

I took a deep breath, and began. My voice was clear, and I hoped dearly that my nerves didn't show. I looked over the garden, my gaze searching to land on anything besides Fili's face.

"May you bring love and may you bring happiness

Be loved in return to the end of your days

Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you

I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay.

May there always be angels to watch over you

To guide you each step of the way

To guard you and keep you safe from all harm

Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay."

As I finished, I noticed that I had begun to shiver violently...this had nothing to do with the cold.

"That was…," Fili breathed in awe.

He then noticed my shaking. "Aria, are you alright? You aren't cold, are you?" he asked, his voice wrought with concern.

"I'm not used to singing like that. Not with an audience anyways. I was only nervous. W-what did you think?"

Fili considered for a moment before answering me "I think that your parents must be out of their mind not to want to hear that."

"Thank you," I said, my shivering becoming calm complacency once more. I couldn't help but smile because Fili had said something I had unknowingly wanted to hear for years.

"Speaking of family, I don't recall you saying anything about grandparents," he said.

"Ah, you've been talking to Kili," I observed.

"Yes, but all he did was ask me what New Zealand was," Fili mused.

This made me laugh to no end.

"What's so funny?" Fili asked.

"Oh, nothing. I-I just keep forgetting that you don't know any earthen places," I said, catching my breath.

"My grandparents are, um, well they're different. They live in the mountains of New Zealand," I paused at the look of confusion outlining his face.

"Just think misty mountains without the goblins," I explained before continuing. "My father never wanted anything to do with them. He said they were both crazy, and that I was better off not knowing them. When I was fourteen I found out where they lived, hopped on a plane, and drove half way into the southern alps to meet them. They live in this huge old house that's surrounded by gardens in full bloom, no matter what time of the year it is. They actually introduced me to middle earth. They took me he films when they were first released, and they always talked about the characters like they were real," I mused, thinking about my grandparents.

"Aria?" Fili asked.

"What?"

"Two words. Plane. Films." he answered.

"Oh. Planes are like covered wagons that carry you through the sky, and films are like moving drawings of people acting out stories," I explained, hoping my words made sense.

"Somebody acted out our story?" Fili asked in awe.

"Oh ya. And may I just say that they were spot on with the casting. You look almost exactly like the person who played you in the films. Only difference is, they got your accent wrong. It's just a tad too heavy in the films," I said, grinning.

"That is the strangest thing you have ever said to me," Fili told me simply.

"As well it should be," I laughed.

"On the subject of strange, I don't see why your grandparents are so out of the ordinary," he said slowly.

"Oh, that's easy. They're always going away, traveling to places that aren't on any map. Heck, sometimes their address doesn't even show up on GP-" I stopped abruptly.

"What is is it?" Fili asked in concern.

I repeated what I had been saying, and as I did so, my hand clutched the almost forgotten pendant around my neck. The rune that had brought me here. The neckless sent from an address that didn't exist.

 **Why would her grandparents send her that pendant?** ***Connects dots in head*** **Who would have known that Kili liked stories about elves as a young dwarf...*connects more dots in head***


	21. A riddle and a Game

**Warning: If you aren't sure how to play chess, then just follow along. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 21** "My grandparents sent me this pendant...it must have been them," I said finally.

"Why does that matter?" Fili asked me.

"I'm here because Galadriel asked for help. My grandparents sent me this pendant, and it sent me here. That answered Galadriel's call. Only question is, why would my grandparents be in a position to answer a call like that?" I mused.

"Do you have any way of knowing that it was them for certain?" Fili asked, trying to help.

"Actually, yes," I said, unclasping the pendant as I did so. I held the pendant up to the light of the moon, and Fili and I let out a simultaneous gasp.

"What is it?" I asked.

" I thought you said mithril didn't exist in your world," he said, his brow furrowing.

"I did. Why?" I asked.

"Because, the chain is made out of it. Can I see that for a moment?" he queried.

I nodded and handed it to him.

"What did you find?" he asked, as he examined the pendant.

"My grandparent's initials are carved along the bottom," I said, pointing them out.

"Then they made it?" Fili asked.

"My grandfather must've, yes," I nodded.

"That's impossible," Fili told me quickly.

"Why?" I asked in confusion.

"The workmanship on this is perfect, the chain is made out of mithril, and it seems almost as if the metal bent to the will of the one who bore the tools to create it," he explained.

"You've never seen my grandfather's work then. I feel like an idiot for not recognizing it myself," I said shaking my head.

Fili took a closer look at the pendant.

"A, Y, are those their initials?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, Aaron and Yelena," I said.

He handed the pendant pack to me and sighed.

"There isn't anything we can do about it tonight. You'd best get some rest. Are you coming inside?" Fili said tiredly.

"I might as well. It's quite cold out here," I said tiredly.

"Good. You should stay close to the company. Ever since that first night we heard the wargs I've been worried that one day you'll just disappear, and we'll never see hide nor hair of you again," said Fili, climbing down from the great slab.

"You worry about me? Why?" I asked.

As I did so, Fili offered a hand to me, as he had done so many times while my ankle had been healing.

As he helped me down, he seemed to think.

"You're completely reckless, and every time we leave you alone, you come back with a new injury. We've known each other for months now, and I care for your safety as deeply as I do for my own brothers. Also, I know that your safety may mean life or death for the members of this company," Fili said. I was still looking up into his eyes, my hands in his.

"I won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I fully intend to see this through, and the last thing you should do is worry about me," I told him sincerely.

Fili reached past me for the blanket that I had left on the slab. He took the blanket and covered my shoulders with it.

"I completely disagree," he said. We walked in silence back to the house.

Sunlight filtered through the great windows of Beorn's house, warming my face, and lulling me into a sense of security that made me want to drift back into a peaceful slumber. I was going to do just that when I was rudely brought to my senses.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as the pillow bumped my face.

"That didn't hurt!" exclaimed Kili.

For it had been he trying to wake me up.

"It did so," I answered, sitting up, and throwing the pillow (which was just a bundled up blanket) back in his face.

"I wasn't even trying." he said.

My scowl didn't last long. Before Rivendell, this had been my wake-up call nearly every morning, and I had become accustomed to the familiar exchange.

"How late did I sleep?" I asked.

"We've just finished breakfast," Kili updated me.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked.

"Oh I was going to, but Oin said you needed the rest after your injuries," Kili said. He gave an amused laugh before saying, "Oin tried to tell us that Thorin needed the rest too, but he would have had a blue fit if we'd let him sleep through introductions," he finished.

"Ooh, is he grouchy?" I asked, stretching.

"No, he's his usual jolly self," said Kili.

There was maybe a five-second reign of complete silence, before both of us burst out laughing.

Kili told me that Beorn was readying supplies for us and that we would depart in but a few hours time. I nodded to this and decided that I had time to eat and relax before getting back on the road.

I got up to find that some food had been spared for me, and I ate a large and hearty breakfast of goat cheese, honeyed bread, and creamy milk.

When I was satisfied, I hopped down from the oversized (and intricately carved) bench and crossed to my backpack. Many of the dwarves were napping or chatting in low voices, so I thought I would finish Romeo and Juliet.

I had just found my page when I heard Kili's voice from across the room.

"Look at this. Who would have known Beorn would be one for chess? Oye, Ori! Bet you couldn't beat me," Kili claimed.

"You, beat me at chess? You couldn't if you tried!" Ori called back.

"I'm inclined to agree with Ori on this one. Best of luck little brother," chuckled Fili from where he sat smoking his pipe next to Thorin.

"I believe in you Kili, I have full confidence in your abilities!" I put in.

"Well, well, well, it looks as if we have ourselves two teams. Aria and Kili versus Ori and Fili. What do you say?" asked Bofur.

"I'm in on the condition that no one takes bets on the game," I said.

"Alright, and I as well," said Fili.

"Looks like we have ourselves a match," called Gloin, and the table holding the chess set was drawn to the center of the room.

We stood, for the table was tall enough by a longshot.

"Right, Balin will make sure you all follow the rules. Kili, as the challenger, you and Aria move first.

My chess skills had stood the test of hundreds of computer matchups back home, but I hadn't played a real opponent since my last visit to my grandparents. This was going to be interesting.

We studied the board for a moment before Kili reached out a hand to make his first move.

"Wait," I whispered to him.

"What?" he asked, and we turned our backs to the board so as not to be overheard.

"We need a strategy," I said.

"It's a board game," Kili retorted.

"There's no difference between this and a battle. We just have to figure out how to use our army effectively," I whispered.

"Right. Ori will be using some clever strategy he's thought up. A battle strategy would be unexpected," he agreed.

We had our heads together for another minute or so, before turning back to face our opponents.

The tactic we used was diversionary. After the first several moves by Fili and Ori, it would appear to the casual observer that they were winning. The casual observers, in this case, were the other dwarves.

"We should have taken bets, I saw this coming," said Nori.

"Eye, that you did. I would have put a fair wager in too," said Gloin.

Meanwhile, I turned my head away from the game to see that Thorin and Dwalin were watching our game from the kitchen table.

Thorin's brow seemed to furrow as he studied the board.

I saw a slow grin begin to creep across his face. He turned to Dwalin to say something under his breath, and I Dwalin chuckled.

"Kili," I whispered.

"Yes?" Kili asked, his attention preoccupied with scrutinizing the board.

"I believe that your uncle's onto us," I whispered.

"I have no doubt he is. What do you say we move that castle next?" he asked.

"No, move the charger into attacking position. We move the castle next turn. Then it's protected," I said.

"I see your point," said Kili, before moving the charger to the desired space on the board. It had taken me a moment at the beginning of the game to realize that the pieces had different names in Middle Earth. A knight, for example, was called a charger.

The move was made, and thanks to Fili and Ori, we lost a charger.

On our next move, the aforementioned castle took out their one remaining charger. Ori looked at his queen for but a moment before moving it across the board to dispatch our castle.

The charger that we moved two turns ago was still in attacking position.

"Well, I commend you for a great move, but I'll just take that off your hands," said Fili, removing our castle from the board.

Kili and I looked at each other and grinned.

"Well, I commend you for a great move, but I'll just take that off your hands," I repeated, using our charger to take his queen.

Cheers, chuckles, and laughter came from our audience after I made this remark.

"Ori, how much do you really want to win?" asked Kili, still laughing.

"Not too much. I wouldn't mind calling it square myself," Ori answered.

"Hang on, I want to finish playing," I protested.

"Yes, we shouldn't stop in the middle of the game," agreed Fili.

"Well" Kili clapped his hands together. "A good thing it only takes two players for a game of chess," he said.

And that's how, ten minutes later, the dwarves had all taken bets, and Fili and I were back at it.

He'd made three moves, by the time that I was in position to use the tactics that Kili and I had planned at the beginning of the game.

Then it was my turn.

"Why are you smiling?" Fili asked.

"No reason," I replied, lightly.

"I'm winning, there's no reason to be smiling. Kili why is she smiling?" Fili asked.

"No outside counsel allowed, sorry brother," replied Kili, winking.

I made the first move.

Four turns later, there were no pawns left on Fili's side and nothing but pawns and a queen left on mine.

The kings sat, unmoved, in their places.

Three of my pawns reached Fili's side of the board. They were exchanged for both of my chargers and a castle.

The strategy had been relatively simple: to make sure our opponents couldn't use their pawns to call for backup. We would concede our more powerful players quickly, rather than try to get them across the board. We would take their queen, rattling their confidence, before proceeding to advance our little army of pawns across the board. Because we'd kept our queen, we were able to offer protection to a few of the pawns making their way across the board. Once to the other side, they were exchanged for more powerful pieces that we had chosen to lose early in the game. Two more moves and these restored pieces would corner the opposing King while the remaining pawns would protect them from the other species.

After Kili left, I decided to carry the plan through. Sure it had to be modified to fit the game, but it was a strategy that Thorin had taught Fili and Kili as young dwarves, and Kili had been able to remember the basics. Luckily for us, Fili didn't recognize what we were doing, and he and Ori had fallen into our trap.

Finishing the game by myself was not difficult in the least.

"And, checkmate!" I said in triumph.

"How did you do that?" Fili asked incredulously.

"Easy. I used a battle strategy that you and Kili learned as young dwarves. At least we know it works now," I said, grinning, throwing him a cheeky wink.

A silence pervaded the room.

"By Durin Thorin, you were right," Dwalin said in awe.

Thorin's small smile of satisfaction confirmed what I had guessed earlier. He had seen our plan from the beginning.

The dwarves broke out into an uproar, exchanging money, laughter, and more than a few "I told you so's".

In the midst of it all, Fili came round the table to talk with me.

"So, I take it you thought that scheme up," he said.

"I did indeed," I told him, the smile refusing to leave my face.

"Well, one thing's for sure," said Fili.

"Oh, and what might that be?" I asked good-naturedly.

"In that dream, the one you had of the future, the one where I had a daughter, you said you were writing battle strategies. Now I can see why," he said.

"I cannot guarantee that dream will come to pass into reality," I warned him.

"Maybe not, but it's closer to coming true than it was this morning," Fili countered. There was a hope in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. One that managed to send shivers down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"I have a question about that dream. Just out of curiosity, did anyone mention who Fira's mother was?" Fili asked.

I opened my mouth, completely unsure of what to say.

"I have the supplies as promised," boomed a powerful voice from behind us.

I exhaled. That had been a close one.

The ponies were beautiful wild creatures, and I felt badly that they were saddled and harnessed on our account. After all, I was still cut up over the loss of Minty, my old pony.

I received a bit of a shock when I counted that we were one pony short.

"Uh, Thorin, I think Beorn's miscounted the ponies," I said when I noticed our leader striding over to the group.

"He's done no such thing. Due to the recent injury of your arm, I deemed it wise for you to ride with someone. The last thing we need know is a re-injury on the road," said Thorin.

"A wise decision indeed," I told him, inclining my head ever so slightly.

"I can volunteer my services, uncle," said Kili, who happened to be passing us.

I won't deny, I was a bit disappointed that Fili wouldn't be my riding partner, but Kili and I were good friends, and it was just for the day.

"Thank you Kili," said Thorin before calling for us to mount our new steeds.

I saw Gandalf talking to Beorn off to the side of our party. I knew of what they spoke, but I wanted to hear it for myself. I was just about to make my way closer to them when I was stopped be Kili.

"You first, princess," he said, winking at me.

When he'd gestured to the pony I'd made to climb on, but at this comment, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What did you say?" I demanded, knowing perfectly well what he had said.

"I-" Kili started.

"Nothing. He said nothing," Fili interjected.

The older prince had already mounted his pony, and they had trotted over to where Kili and I were standing.

"What?" I asked, confused and mortified that Fili had heard what his brother had said.

"It's nothing. Just Kili trying to get on my nerves. Ignore what he said," Fili told me.

Alright, consider it ignored," I said, but inside, I was even more confused than I had been a moment ago. Why would Kili calling me princess have gotten on Fili's nerves?

I climbed onto the horse, and Kili mounted after I had finished, sitting behind me and holding the reigns.

I heard Beorn giving that one last piece of cautionary advice before we were off. "Go while you still have the light. Your hunters are not far behind you."

We rode for hours, our pace quick, and our mood anxious. We had heard distant howling as we left Beorn's, and we knew that the only way to outrun the orcs, was to reach Mirkwood long before they did. Once inside, Gandalf said it was a several days hike through to the other side.

I learned once more, how the passage of time seems so very different when life doesn't just cut to the next scene.

As we rode over the lands that lay between Beorn's and the forest, Kili and I began to talk. The ponies were spaced over such a distance as to give our conversation relative privacy.

"You should tell him," said Kili, assuming I would understand who and what he was talking about.

"Absolutely not," I said stubbornly.

"Why? This is starting to get ridiculous. I mean sure it's quite amusing for me to watch, but I don't understand why you won't say anything," Kili told me.

"I'm not ruining the friendship I have with your brother for no reason other than my feelings. I know Fili, and as my friend, he'd feel obliged to act as if he returned my feelings, or he'd have to tell me the truth in a manner that he knows would hurt me. I refuse to do that to him," I stated.

"You're not going to tell him because you want to spare him from having to say no?" Kili asked.

"In essence, yes," was my simple answer.

"Mahal, you two are overcomplicating things. I swear, if I ever fall in love, I'll tell her the minute I realize I can't live without her," Kili said, and I had to bite my lip to stop from grinning.

On the shores of the Long Lake, Kili had called Tauriel "amrâlimê." I now knew exactly what it would take for Kili to say that to someone.

Then I took a second to mull over what else he had said and realized something.

"Kili, what do you mean, you two are overcomplicating things?" I asked.

Kili didn't answer for a moment, and when he did, his response was somewhat scattered.

"Uh, I, what I meant was, you're over complicating things," he stuttered.

"Ya, okay, sure," I said, not quite knowing what to make of it.

"And what's Mahal?" I asked.

"No. I am not giving a history lesson," Kili said.

"Please," I said.

"Fine. Mahal, and I don't know why you don't know this, is our maker. He carved the first dwarves through his own craft. He's married to Yavanna, who created-" Kili explained before I cut him off.

"Oh, Aulë. Is that who you mean?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, that's who I meant. Are you sure you weren't raised by elves?" Kili asked.

"No, I wasn't raised by elves. I just learned differently than most of our kind," I said defensively.

What I meant by "learned differently" was that the basis of my knowledge about Middle Earth came from sporadically reading chapters of the Silmarillion, and rereading the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit books. I still hadn't figured out how the book and film storylines coincided, and it was the one thing that still had me completely baffled.

"Any more questions?" asked Kili.

"Yeah, what are you not telling me?" I asked.

"As much as you're not telling me," was Kili's cheerful reply.

The forest was in clear sight by the time the sun started its descent from the sky.

"I don't like the look of this place," Kili said as we neared the treeline.

"Neither do I. It does strange things to your head, that place," I said.

"Agreed," said Kili.

"Here lies our path through Mirkwood." We heard Gandalf call.

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side," said Dwalin, dismounting from his pony.

"Set the ponies loose. Let them return to their master." Gandalf ordered us.

We obeyed, dismounting and begging to unload our supplies. For me, this just meant detaching my backpack from the saddle of our pony.

I turned to see that Gandalf had gone a little ways into the woods, and seemed to be lost in thought. I knew that the wizard was about to announce his departure, but never the less, I liked the security of his presence and would be remiss to see him leave again.

Kili finished untying our pony, and it trotted off along with its companions.

Nori was nearly finished unsaddling Gandalf's horse when the wizard called for him to halt.

"Not my horse! I need it."

As Gandalf strode towards us, the various members of the company regarded the wizard with expressions and murmurs of surprise.

"You're not leaving us?" asked Bilbo, voicing the concerns of the company.

"I would not do this unless I had to." replied the Wizard.

After which, he turned to engage Bilbo in conversation.

Moments later, Gandalf turned and began walking toward his horse; as he passed Thorin, he spoke.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me," he warned Thorin.

"This is not the Greenwood of old. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray," Gandalf advised.

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" I heard Bilbo asking Dwalin.

As Gandalf mounted his horse, I felt a few drops of light rain hitting my head. I knelt to pull my cloak out of my pack, and as I did so, I heard Gandalf's final piece of advice.

"You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." As his horse wheeled away from the forest, he repeated his warning. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!"

I looked to his retreating figure and gulped. I had the sinking feeling of dread that accompanies the knowledge of truth. We would stray from the path, and in time, we would pay the price for it.

"Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day," ordered Thorin.

"Durin's Day. Let's go!" put in Dwalin.

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door," Thorin said by way of motivation.

As Thorin lead us into the forest, I couldn't help but realize that the clock to Durin's day seemed to tick faster and faster, counting away our spare minutes until we would have none left.

"The path goes this way." Thorin determined as we made our way into the forest.

"And we must follow," I said quietly.

And follow it we did, for hours. By the time Thorin called a halt, only one ray of sun was visible above the choking forest canopy. I remember looking down at my feet for some reason, and upon looking back up, finding that even the one little ray was now hidden from view. The clearing in which we stopped was only lit by a faint glow.

No one was in a favorable mood, even Bilbo was being snippy, criticizing Thorin for a directional choice, telling Bofur that he shouldn't talk so much.

I saw Thorin take Fili aside to talk to him, and wished at that moment to talk to the dwarf prince myself. We were both in foul moods, but I needed to know that someone else could sense the utter wrongness of the situation at hand.

My vision tilted slightly, and I could feel my wits dulling.

My mind clouding over in a fog of utter delirium.

A flash of movement near the base of one of the psychedelic trees caught my attention. I blearily made my way out of the clearing, back the way we had come, to see what it had been. I rounded a sharp bend on the path we had taken and found myself all alone in the woods.

Not a moment later, I felt my backpack vibrating and the pendant, which I had neglected to put on the night before, flew from my pack, attaching itself to my neck. It began to constrict, pulling tighter and tighter across my neck.

I made two fists, pulling it away from me, fighting with every second to stop its advance into a choke hold.

"Aria, what is it?" came Kili's frantic voice.

He must've followed me out of the clearing.

I sank to my knees and gasped.

"Choking. Undo necklace. Please." I rasped.

Kili was at my side in a moment, fumbling with the clasp as I literally held on for dear life. It was still tightening, tightening, tightening.

In a moment, the faint glow disappeared from the path, signaling the setting of the sun.

All of a sudden, the pendant slackened around my neck. Kili hadn't succeeded in removing it, but it had stopped its advance.

In shaky relief I stood, assisted by Kili, to my feet.

"What was that?" he asked in horror, his hands still supporting my elbow and back.

My reply was shaky "I-I don't know. Thank goodness it's all over."

At that very moment, the pendant let out a blinding flash of light, causing us to cry out in surprise.

A flash of light that was followed by darkness.

Followed by darkness, and the terribly familiar sensation of falling through mist.

I saw before me a scene of indigo blue, painted upon a white fabric. The scene was tranquil.

Fishers rowed their boats, ladies in dresses sat on picnic blankets, and children held hands, dancing in rows.

The scene was oddly familiar. In fact, it was the scene that embellished the bedspread I used when visiting my grandparents back on earth. I was puzzled as to why I could see it now.

Confused, I looked up.

Before me was a nightstand, and the very same alarm clock that I had woken up to for four years of winter vacations.

The realization that I could have dreamt up the past few months hit me like a truck, and tears began to roll silently from my eyes, bringing rain to the happy scene on my coverlet.

I reached up to wipe them away, and my eyes widened.

I was looking at the dirty, but still recognizably sunny yellow sleeve of my tunic. I hadn't dreamt it up!

So then why was I back in this room at my grandparent's house of all places?

I was frantic to find a way back but uncertain what to look for.

I didn't want to live in a world without Fili's laughter, his quick wit, and even his dwarvish stubbornness.

No. Stop, I had a more important reason to find my way back.

If I could find a way back, he and Kili, and Thorin had no hope for survival!

I sat up surveying room.

The moment I did this, I realized that I had far bigger problems than finding a way back.

"Aria, do you know where we are?" came a voice from beside the bed.

Sitting on the floor, rubbing his head and looking around at the room, was a person who most definitely should not have been there.

"Kili?" I asked.

 **Um, cliffie?**

 **A lot happened this chapter, so I would love to know what you all thought of it.**


	22. Stars a world away

**Translations**

Eruwaedhiel- an elvish name that translates to "Promise" Pronounced (Air-oo-wye-thee-ell)

Adar-Sindarin for father

Naneth-Sindarin for mother

Addâ-Kuzdul for father (informal)

Ammâ-Kuzdul for mother (informal)

 **Chapter 22**

I rose from my bed, crossed to my mahogany desk, and sank into the leather chair that I'd insisted upon having. My elbows propped up on the desk, and my head in my hands, I groaned.

The room around me was always sunny. But now, night had completely fallen, and the only light came from a lamp that had been left on in the room. The room itself, contained the bed, desk, chair, a vanity, and a small closet. It wasn't nearly as sizable as my room at home, but I had loved it for the rich wood and rustic feeling that the room had.

"When Gandalf said the forest would seek to deceive our senses, I didn't think he meant this. I'm seeing things," said Kili.

"You aren't seeing things. We've left the forest," I said tiredly.

"That's ridiculous. If we aren't in the forest, then where are we?" Kili asked.

"We're in the guest bedroom at my grandparent's house," I said, sighing heavily.

"What? How? We've got to get back!" Kili exclaimed, his eyes darting about the room.

"The pendant brought us here. And I agree that we've got to get back, but it isn't that simple," I said, trying to comprehend the situation we had been thrust into.

"Why not?" Kili asked.

"Because we aren't in Middle Earth anymore. We're in a lodge high in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and I don't know how to get back. It wouldn't be a problem if I were the only one here, but you? We have to get you to the company. If you don't get back, the entire story changes. To answer any future questions you might have, no, I was not born a dwarf, and no, you are not allowed to discuss this with anybody but your older brother when and if we get back!" I snapped at him. I took a deep breath, and my head sank to the desk.

After a time, Kili spoke.

"Remind me never to actually make you angry. You've got quite the temper."

"Ya think?" I asked sarcastically, my voice muffled.

"Yes. Well, at least I understand why you lacked knowledge about Middle Earth. I'm also not surprised that you were born a daughter of men, you look quite different than any dwarrowdam I've met before," said Kili, seeming to ponder what I had said to him.

"You don't look like other dwarrows I've met," I retorted, my mind still refusing to focus on the problem at hand.

"That may be so, but unlike you, I've been a dwarf my entire life," Kili claimed.

"I would check that if I were you," I said looking up.

In the same manner that I had changed from human to dwarf, Kili had changed. He was taller and less stocky.

"By Durin, what's happened to me?" Kili asked, startled by the change in his appearance.

"Welcome to human-hood," I said sarcastically.

Kili had another question. "Why do I look like this?"

"Because in a world where there are no dwarves, hobbits, elves, orcs, or wizards, the only option left is becoming human," I told him.

"Uh, right, is there any chance I won't turn back when we go home?" Kili asked.

"No, I seem to be human again, so we'll both be able to revert back to dwarves when we go home," I told him.

"This is a mess. How do we get back?" Kili asked hopelessly.

"Like I said before, I don't know. The pendant brought us here but...but, unless my grandparents can help us, I don't know that will be able to," I trailed off. I bit my quivering lip. I shouldn't have been on the verge of tears, no, I wasn't going to cry.

I was going to fix the problem and I was going to begin fixing it that very moment.

I single st of tears fell from my eyes before I wiped them away and got to my feet.

"I'm sorry Kili, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I never counted on having to come back to this place," I told him.

"Don't think on it. I'm not offended," said Kili, giving me an understanding smile.

I formed a vague plan in my head.

"I'm gonna shower. When I'm finished, I'll call grandfather and grandmother," as I spoke, I logged onto my iMac and checked the date.

"This is perfect," I continued. "They should return home tomorrow morning if their travel schedule hasn't changed. They're always going away on trips, but they come home at this time of year," I explained.

"What does it matter," Kili sighed hopelessly.

"It matters! They sent me this pendant. It's the reason that we're here, and the reason that I came to Middle Earth in the first place," I snapped again.

"Will you miss them? When we go back I mean," Kili queried, trying to be optimistic of our situation.

"Something tells me I won't have to. Fili said the chain around my neck was made of mithril. You can't get that here. They must've been to Middle Earth, I just want to know when, and why they didn't tell me before," I pondered.

I stood and crossed to the closet where I had always left a few outfits during vacation. I pulled out a pair of jeans and an oversized sweatshirt.

Dire as the situation was, I had never had a better or more satisfying shower in my life. After I was finished, I dressed and exited the bathroom. From there I went straight to the linen closet and picked up around ten bars of soap, dumping them unceremoniously into my backpack. I was not going that long without properly cleaning myself ever again.

"What do we do now?" Kili asked, rising from my desk chair as I entered the room.

"Well, there's not much we can do. I'll call my grandparents, then we can eat," I shrugged.

"There's nothing else we can do until then?" was his next question.

"I'm afraid not. We don't have any means of transportation and there is no way of communicating with the company," I sighed as I finished.

"I hate this! They could be in trouble and we're helpless to do anything about it" Kili said, gritting his teeth.

I just nodded, a lump forming in my throat.

"Let's go down stairs, there's food and a phone down there," I told him at length.

"Sorry, a what?" Kili asked.

"A phone, you push a set of number into it, and the person who has the phone that corresponds to that set of numbers can hear you when they put it to their ear. I don't know the specifics of how they work, but they can be dead useful," I explained as we walked down the stairs.

The lodge that my grandparents had built before my father's birth hadn't changed much since my last visit. The railings and banisters were made of beautifully shaped iron and intricately carved wood that I could stop and stare at for long periods of time without becoming bored.

Sculptures and pieces of artwork hung from the walls and sat in alcoves, well taken care of and waiting to be admired. The place had a graceful air, but with a strength set into it that reminded me very much of my grandparents themselves.

"It's nice, this place, did they do it themselves?" Kili asked.

"Yes, actually they did. My grandfather built the house, and my grandmother raised the gardens," I said, absentmindedly. The lump in my throat still refusing to leave.

"Gardens? I thought you said we were high in the mountains," Kili observed.

"I don't know how she does it, but yes. The slopes around this house have the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen and they bloom all year round. I've looked them up, and most of them aren't even supposed to survive at this altitude, or in this climate. It's quite amazing. She has this gift with growing things, and when I first came here, I thought it was magic. To be honest, part of me still thinks it's magic," I said, breaking into a wistful smile.

We reached the main floor, passing under a carved arch that had always reminded me of the architecture of Rivendell, and walked into the kitchen. We were met by the aroma of spices and fresh herbs as we walked through the cozy room.

I picked up the phone from the counter next to the stove and dialed my grandparent's number.

The phone was answered almost immediately and I spoke. "Grandmother?" I asked.

"We witnessed what befell you and young Kili, your grandfather and I will be home soon," said my grandmother's voice over the phone. She was her usual composed self, but I was far from that.

"You what? How do you know Kili's here too?" I asked quickly.

"We will explain everything upon our arrival," said grandmother before the line went dead.

"How does she know my name?" asked Kili.

"I don't know. She said they saw what happened to us. That might be something," I shrugged.

I had hoped that the conversation would bring closure to my questions, but instead, new ones arose in its wake.

We sat awhile in silence, taking chairs in the breakfast nook, situated in front of floor-length windows that looked out over the mountains.

"They're no closer than they were back home," Kili remarked absentmindedly.

"What's no closer?" I asked, intrigued.

"The stars. They always seem to be a world away no matter where you go," Kili said, looking out the window.

* * *

"Come Tauriel, night closes in fast and my father expects us," she heard Legolas's voice encouraging her from outside the cottage door.

She turned in the direction of his call, her long auburn waves falling over her shoulder to brush the coverlet of the bed that she stood before.

Tauriel sighed heavily. As always, the time spent at the little cottage on the edge of the wood had gone by too quickly.

"I'm on my way," she called to her friend who waited just outside. Out of respect for Tauriel, Legolas never entered the cottage. He had been inside just once, many years ago, and hadn't gone back since.

Tauriel's family had been one of few to choose not to live within King Thranduil's walls. They led a quiet life, and a few even had children. Tauriel had been the last born into that little village.

The last born before a marauding band of orcs had sacked the village, believing they had killed every elf to call that place home.

Tauriel remembered hiding, body quivering, underneath her parent's bed.

She had been told not to come out for any reason, and then she had been left alone to hear the screams of her peace-loving friends and neighbors, as they lost their lives to the foul orcs.

She had waited for hours under the very bed she stood beside now, hoping her adar or naneth would come to fetch her, but knowing that they would not.

She cowered there until all noise seemed to have left the village. When she made her way, at last, back into the light, she had found herself to be an orphan. None from her home had survived.

It had taken Tauriel two days to bury her parents, for though she had the intelligence of one much older, she was still a tender eight years old. Legolas had found her, brandishing a dagger that she had taken from the lifeless hands of an orc, and had taken her back to his father.

The king had begrudgingly taken Tauriel in as his ward, and she had been raised as such. A warrior, a respected elf, and now a captain of the King's guard.

She was pleased with her position, for it took her farther outside the walls of the woodland realm then she had been able to go before, but she always seemed to long for more.

She yearned to tread the open road, to see the great sights of Middle Earth, to reach out and touch the sky.

The closest she got to realizing this dream, was the monthly visit to her parent's graves and to this cottage that she had once called home.

But now, as always, it was time to return to the service of her king.

Legolas stood, the reigns of his white mare and her ebony stallion in his left hand.

"How fared your visit?" asked her friend.

"Nearly six hundred years, and it never becomes easier," was her simple reply.

Legolas nodded his sympathies and offered her the reigns of the stallion.

They rode along the edge of the forest, minimizing their travel time, before turning in along the river bank and riding through the gates typically used for unloading goods from Esgaroth.

Their horses were soon unsaddled and handed off to stable hands.

As they ascended a wide open air staircase towards their respective chambers, Legolas broached the question that Tauriel barely had the strength to answer.

"Are you coming to the feast tonight?"

"I-Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure that a celebration would suit me just now. Thank you, but I'm going to retire early," Tauriel said, giving her friend a tired smile.

"And miss the feast of starlight?" Legolas asked.

"It is a three-day celebration. I shall be there tomorrow night," Tauriel assured him.

"Then, good night mellon-nin," said Legolas, inclining his head to Tauriel.

"And you," she replied.

As she turned the handle to enter her chambers, Tauriel stopped to listen to Legolas's footsteps recede down the hallway. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

When she'd smiled at him, he'd given her the strangest look. She couldn't quite place it, but she had a feeling that their friendship was changing. The last thing Tauriel wanted to do was hurt him, but she wasn't sure that she liked the direction in which it was going.

She sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day and entered her chambers.

Tauriel's chambers were small, but thanks to the king's generosity, they were adorned with rugs, willowy carvings, and all the trappings of an apartment fit for a captain of the king's guard.

Three rooms. A small visiting area, a wash-room, and her bedroom were all she had, and they were all she needed.

After the day's sweat had been washed away, and she had dressed, Tauriel retired to her bedchamber. She took the candle from her wash stand, and set it down on her bedside table.

She slid under the covers, glad that the day was finally over, and reached out a hand for the satchel she had brought with her to the cottage. From its depths, she withdrew a book.

Tauriel wasn't one for sitting and reading her life away, but this type of book had always grabbed her attention. It was a compilation of tales that she had been read as a child.

Tales of the great deeds of men, elves, and even dwarves. They gave her the smallest taste of what could be beyond Mirkwood. She read slowly, soaking in every detail, reading sparingly so as to save a chapter for nights ahead. The chapters she read that night, were of a story that she hadn't heard in years.

The tale was that of a love between and elf and a mortal man. Tauriel wondered how such a bond could have come about. How two so different could have given their lives and then been restored to life as mortals, to live and die as men did.

As Tauriel closed the book, she wondered what love could make an elf give up her immortality to be with a mortal.

Tauriel laid the book on her bedside table and stood. She crossed to the small window set in her wall and gazed out into the forest. The window was a privilege that few wanted, choosing to occupy apartments closer to the center of the realm. Nearer to the king.

But Tauriel relished the small glimpse into the outside world that she was given.

She reached for the latch, opening it with a flip of her graceful fingers.

She pushed the window wide open on its hinges, before returning to bed. From her position, she could see up out into the night. The stars burned brightly, twinkling with laughter and shining with a light that could not be dimmed by time.

She gazed at them, and couldn't help but think that this was much better than a loud feast in the king's hall.

Her eyes slowly became heavy, shutting as she was finally taken by sleep.

* * *

 _The dream was more vivid than any Tauriel had experienced before. A sensation that she could only describe as the presence of truth permeated the air._

 _She sat outdoors, looking out upon a woodland clearing. The air was filled with birdsong, and the scent of autumn danced around her as the breeze blew yellow and auburn leaves to the ground in a fiery storm of feathers that only nature could create._

 _Tauriel quickly became aware of another sound._

 _The lively music of a violin in the hands of a skillful player came from behind her._

 _Tauriel stood, and as she did, something fell from her lap. She looked at her feet to see a pile of newly fletched arrows. They were sharp and glinted off of something that she was wearing._

 _Tauriel looked down to see a dress in navy blue, dotted with pure white diamonds. She smiled at a garment that so closely mirrored the night sky._

 _Tauriel could still hear the music, which had become even more energetic in the past seconds._

 _She turned, in a hope to find the source, and instead found herself gazing upon a building the likes of which she had never seen before. It almost reminded her of the sketches of Rivendell's graceful arches and terraces...almost._

 _Unlike those sketches, this great house seemed to flow from the rock itself. For this place was built right into the side of a mighty mountain._

 _She walked towards it, hearing the sounds of violin joined by laughter._

" _Tauriel?" called a voice from the balcony above her._

 _Tauriel looked up to see a lady of slight stature with a mane of unruly raven curls that were only controlled by a silver circlet upon her brow. The lady was clad in a rich gown of fiery red that accentuated her alabaster skin very nicely._

" _Yes?" Tauriel replied uncertainly, for she had never seen this person in her life._

" _Is it just me, or do you hear two violins?" the lady asked._

 _Tauriel paused for a moment, her sharp ears identifying the slightest variation between two pitches._

" _You aren't wrong," Tauriel called up to the balcony._

" _I didn't think so," was the lady's quick reply before she disappeared from the balcony._

 _Tauriel was intrigued and entered the hall._

 _She walked through an open-air entryway and into what seemed to be a kitchen. There, she was greeted by the strangest sight she had seen in years. Two children stood atop a table, both playing the violin. They appeared to be engaged in a musical battle with one another._

 _They were both very young, but elves taught music to their children at an early age, so this was nothing out of the ordinary._

 _Tauriel heard quiet footsteps on the stairs to her left and saw that the lady to whom she had been speaking, was coming down the stairs. As she reached the landing, two things became very apparent to Tauriel._

 _The first was that she was very young, and the second was that she was a dwarf. Well, either a dwarf or the shortest woman to walk Middle Earth. For she was slight, and she lacked the facial hair attributed to dwarrowdams._

 _The lady joined her in watching the children._

" _They're quite talented," observed Tauriel._

" _They're gonna break those violins," the dwarrowdam shook her head._

" _Should we stop them?" Tauriel asked tentatively._

" _Yes, we should most definitely stop them. Or, we could wait for our husbands to return home and find their beloved instruments broken," said the lady._

" _Wait for what?" Tauriel asked. She had never experienced a dream in which she was already married._

" _Good point. What are we waiting for?" asked the lady, shrugging and striding into the room._

 _The music stopped the moment the two children saw their elder walk into the room._

" _Put the violins down, and then for Pete's sake, get off of that table!" she said._

" _But ammâ, we weren't hurting anybody," whined the first child, a boy with blonde curls that matched his mother's in volume._

" _What was that? You don't want dessert for a fortnight?" asked the boy's mother, her hands on her hips._

" _No, I said I was coming down right now and I'm gonna give you the violin," said the boy._

" _That's what I thought," his mother laughed, unable to keep a straight face._

 _The little boy handed her the violin carefully before climbing carefully down from the table to a chair, and then from the chair to the floor._

" _And what about you young lady?" asked the boy's mother._

 _The girl on top of the table, who had ebony hair that fell loosely down her back in waves and a joyous look in her bright eyes said, "Aunt Aria, my adar says it's called a fiddle."_

 _The lady crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes._

" _Oh, I am perfectly aware of what your adar thinks that particular instrument is called. Regardless, you will hand it to me, and get off of the table instantly_ _Eruwaedhiel, do you understand me?" said the lady, whose name seemed to be Aria, in a no-nonsense tone._

 _"_ _Stay strong Ella, remember the pact," whispered the boy very loudly._

 _"_ _But she used my full name, Filip!" whispered Ella._

 _Tauriel had to smile at this, the little girl had a spunk about her that the elf admired, but when confronted with her full name, she was willing to back down._

 _The girl handed the violin off to her aunt, and leaped from the table, landing gracefully on her feet._

 _"_ _Now run along and play outside. Your fathers should be back from patrol any minute now," said Aria, and the two children needed no further bidding._

 _As they ran past her, little Ella stopped to give Tauriel a hug around the waist. This surprised her to no end, but she had no time to respond, for the little girl was gone as quickly as she had arrived, calling out behind her "Don't worry ammâ, I won't ruin my dress!"_

 _As Ella and Filip dashed off into the woods, Tauriel heard Aria laughing behind her._

 _"_ _What is so amusing?" Tauriel asked._

 _"_ _They have a pact! If I know those two, they probably got Ori to write it out for them and everything. I can only imagine it. They've probably sworn to resist all forms adult authority, bath time, and vegetables," Aria said, still laughing._

 _At that moment, they heard two shouts from the woods._

 _"_ _Adar!"_

 _"_ _Addâ!"_

 _"_ _They're home!" came Aria's happy voice from behind Tauriel._

 _Tauriel felt her heart jump inexplicably._

* * *

At that very moment, a world away, two of the occupants of that very dream found ourselves in a lodge in New Zealand, and up far past the time we should have been in bed.

"Eat something," said Kili.

"Not hungry," I repeated for the fifth time in the past ten minutes.

I'd picked at my own dinner for nearly half an hour before finally pushing the plate away and beginning to pace the kitchen.

We returned to an impatient silence, Kili drumming his fingers against the countertop, and I continued to pace.

Kili broke the silence once again.

"What's through that door?" he asked.

I looked up to see what he was indicating.

"My grandfather's forge slash workshop slash whatever he feels like building or fixing at the time," I said distractedly.

"How did these two people meet? They sound like polar opposites. He's a smith and she's a gardener," Kili observed.

"I don't know, they don't really talk about how they met, but you're right, they are polar opp-was that the door?" I asked mid-sentence.

"It was the door. They're here," I said, relieved.

"Now what?" asked Kili.

"Don't ask why they speak properly and don't ask why they look the way they do," I whispered, giving the only advice I could think of.

"What?" he asked.

"You'll see."

 **Aria found out what Tauriel was doing so she could write about it. Yay!**

 **Anybody miss Fili yet? *raises both hands***

 **Who the heck are Aria's grandparents? Hint? Think Tolkien!**

 **Until next chapter :)**


	23. Questions, answers, and paths

**Alright, new chapter!**

 **Warning: dots ahead!**

 **Valar = they are "not quite gods", responsible for forming middle earth, and created the various beings there. (That's a simple and VERY broad definition, but it works in a pinch)**

 **Chapter 23**

Tauriel flinched as vibrations echoed up her arm.

"We're stopping," ordered Legolas, handing her the sword he had just taken from her with one deft movement of his own weapon.

"So soon? We've only been at this half an hour," Tauriel remarked.

"Yes, and in that time, I've managed to disarm you seven times. You are distracted. What bothers you?" Legolas asked.

"I know not. Maybe yesterday's visit has shaken me," Tauriel observed.

Legolas nodded in understanding.

Regardless of what she had told her friend, she knew precisely what was bothering her. She had awoken the previous night in a cold sweat, her heart beating at an abnormal rate. That dream had perplexed her all morning, for she hadn't been frightened in any way by the dream, so the reason for these symptoms remained unknown.

"Take a rest, we can spar again after patrol this evening," said Legolas.

"Thank you, my lord," said Tauriel, bowing.

"No need for formalities," she heard Legolas saying as she exited the ring, massaging her still ringing hand.

Tauriel made no stop to deposit her weapons at her chambers, but instead went straight to the one person who she was sure could help her.

Valaina was a healer of great renown throughout the woodland realm, and it was she that Tauriel had gone to see that day.

Over the years, Tauriel had developed a great respect for the older elf. It was Valaina's patience that had gotten Tauriel through her healing courses as a youth.

It had been Thranduil's tradition that all young elves, especially the maidens, learned the art of healing. Many found this quite agreeable, but Tauriel constantly skipped lessons to train in the sparring ring and was ornery towards her instructors.

She claimed that if everyone would just learn how to fight properly, there wouldn't be such a need for healers, but in truth, Tauriel was frightened of the suffering. She didn't ever want to watch or listen to people in such pain as on the day she had lost her parents. She was determined to end the evil creature's lives before they could do any harm to living people. Tauriel had dedicated herself to the art of weapons with such a fervent passion that she soon outranked many of her elders and betters.

It was almost unheard of for a maiden, especially one of only six hundred years, to secure the position of captain of the guard but Tauriel had done it. She had earned several cold shoulders for it, but Tauriel knew that wise Valaina would always stand by her, for without the healer's help, Tauriel could never have done what she did.

For Valaina had taken Tauriel under her instruction, and had taught her not just medical basics, but how to control her temper as well. Tauriel's rebellious nature had been tamed over those years and she learned to take orders and in turn learned to give them.

Despite this, she remained a novice healer, only ever learning basics.

She often sought the older elf's advice, and today she needed it more than ever.

Tauriel knocked tentatively on the door to the sick bay.

"Come in," replied a soft voice from within.

"Do you have a moment Valaina?" asked Tauriel, poking her head around one of the sick bay's great double doors.

"Of course Tauriel, what is it?" said a chestnut haired elf, who was sitting beside an empty cot, folding bandages.

"It's a silly matter, but I've had a very strange dream," Tauriel admitted.

"Dreams can be very powerful things. It is by no means silly. What about this dream troubled you?" Valaina asked.

Tauriel walked into the room, crossing to the cot and sitting down, her weight slightly disturbing the crispness of the white sheets.

"It was much more realistic than any dream I've ever had. Also, I knew none of the other people in the dream. They seemed to know me though. I was married and a mother. Needless to say, I'm neither of those at the moment, but in the dream I think I wanted to be both," Tauriel said, relaying just a few details to her friend.

"It was very realistic, you say?" asked Valaina.

"Yes."

"And this is the first such dream that you have had?" was the older elf's second question.

Tauriel replied with another simple "yes."

"Well, in that case, I may know what it is," mused Valaina.

"Do you plan to tell me?" asked Tauriel, anxious to know more about the strange dream.

"Yes, if you would wait just a moment. What you experienced last night was something that many elves, and a few of other races experience," Valaina told her.

"But what is the significance of this dream?" Tauriel asked, impatience beginning to bleed into her tone.

"There are many ways to explain such a thing, but few right ways to do so. I shall approach this in this manner. We make choices every day. These choices lead us down paths, and as we make decisions, some paths close while others open in their wake. These paths lead us down the road of our life. One path, should we choose to follow it, leads us to love. When a crossroads is reached, we often have dreams such as the one you have experienced. They are given to many of our race for but one purpose. They are meant to lead you to he whom you may, should you choose to, fall in love with," explained Valaina, smiling at Tauriel.

"You're telling me that love is a choice?" Tauriel asked.

"Of course love is a choice. There is no power in all the heavens that can bring two people together but their own will. Attraction is natural, friendship comes with time, but to sacrifice yourself completely for the happiness and well-being of another is your choice and yours alone. This dream is meant to show you that love is among the choices you will encounter in the immediate future," said the older elf.

Tauriel creased her brow, for this was something that she had not thought of before, having always considered love to be no more than a feeling that two people magically found out they had for each other.

"Why am I having this dream only now?" Tauriel asked.

"Most likely because you are coming to a crossroads. You must soon make a choice. I'm sorry, that is all I know. It is so very different for each case."

Tauriel nodded her head, thinking on what she had been told.

"When you mentioned giving yourself completely, would that include dying for someone?" she asked, thinking of the tale of Beren and Luthien which she had been reading the night before.

"At it's highest form, yes. Giving you life or even your immortality for someone would fit into what I mentioned. Is there anything else?"

"One thing more. I've read tales of other beings, and don't dwarves and some men have but one person destined for them? Why are those two races different from us in this aspect?" Tauriel asked.

The older elf studied her for some time before answering.

"You were not made for this forest child. I can see the call of the outside world calling in your eyes," Valaina said offering a sad smile to Tauriel. The older elf could see Tauriel's wish to leave so clearly.

"Maybe you are right, but what in regards to my question?" Tauriel persisted.

"Those races are no different than ours, save for the fact that men often remarry after the death of their first spouse. As for dwarves, I knew a few before Smaug's coming.

Their healers would buy my herbs in Dale's market. I can see how you might mistake their customs and believe that for them there is only one other made for them in the world, but I can assure you it's quite the opposite.

They had a saying about such matters, and as I recall it goes like this. 'I didn't wed you because you are my one. You are my one because I wed you.' Whatever the faults their people, I do like that saying," said Valaina, standing and taking her completed work to the supply shelves.

Tauriel stood and inclined her head to Valaina as she turned.

"I must go. There is a patrol this afternoon," she said.

"Until our next meeting then," Valaina bid her farewell.

Tauriel had much to think about. Now that she knew what the dream had meant, she had to decide what to do about it.

As Tauriel left the sick bay, her mind was affirmed. Her duty as it stood was to the woodland realm and to her king. Whatever the next days would throw into her path, she had to keep her priorities in line.

She would stay the course she had set. Her plan had been formed for some time now. When she had dutifully served the king for a few more years, she was going to see a bit of the world beyond their borders and she wasn't going to let some romance keep her there.

And yet, the thought of how her heart had leaped at the unknown voice in the previous night's dream sent shivers down her spine, weakening her resolve ever so slightly.

Kili and I froze, unsure of what to do next. We heard footsteps in the hall, and then the door shutting smoothly behind them.

"Aria, child, are you down here?" came my grandmother's voice from the hall.

I glanced quickly towards Kili before answering. "We're in the kitchen."

We heard two sets of well-measured footsteps coming our way. One was light, the other powerful, and both I had missed hearing.

Unable to wait any longer, I ran to the hall to greet them.

I stopped short, confused when I reached them. My grandmother and grandfather were clothed in garments that I would have expected to see in Middle Earth.

My grandmother wore her usual sage green, but it was in a gown that resembled one I'd seen in Rivendell, and my grandfather wore a white tunic and trousers under what looked to be a great ruddy forge apron.

Seeing the direction of my gaze, my grandmother spoke.

"My apologies for our seemingly strange dress. We were quite surprised by this last turn of events and were forced to hurry back from, well let us just say that we had to hurry." I could see that she was hiding something from me, but I was fairly certain of what it was, so I answered.

"Back from Middle Earth?" I smirked, my eyebrows raised.

My grandfather laughed his great booming laugh and shook his head.

"You are a bright one to have figured that out, granddaughter," he told me as we walked in the direction of the kitchen.

"Actually, I had help. Fili figured out that the chain of my pendant was crafted from mithril, and I found your initials on its base. Your address doesn't show up on any map I know of, which explains why I couldn't figure out where it was from in the first place, and mithril can't be found on earth. The only explanation is that you sent it, and you can cross between worlds as you wish," I told them quickly.

"Well done. You have a quick wit that I can safely attribute to my side of the family," smiled my grandmother, and I turned to hug her.

"I missed you both," I said, with all the sincerity I could muster.

"And we missed you," said grandfather, resting a calloused yet gentle hand on my shoulder.

Shortly afterward, we had reached the kitchen and Kili came into view. The dark haired dwarf turn human prince was standing rather stiffly by the chair he had abdicated.

"Kili, at your service. We're sorry to intrude on such short notice," he said, bowing deeply.

"Aaron and Yalena at yours and your family's," said my grandfather, grinning as if sharing a private joke. I almost missed the slight nudge my grandmother gave him.

I didn't miss the suspicious look Kili threw me. His eyebrows knitting together. He seemed to be thinking hard but was interrupted by my grandmother's voice.

"It is no intrusion at all. Any friend of our granddaughters is welcome in our house at whatever time they so choose to arrive. However, I am curious as to why you come at this late hour. We didn't summon you back, and we sensed no immediate danger to your quest," she mused.

"That's what we were hoping to find out from you. Also, we kinda need to get back ASAP. I mean, they're going to notice Kili and I are gone, but if we aren't back in time, Kili isn't going to meet...nevermind. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" I asked, imploring my grandparents. I was answered by two resounding yes's from beside me, and a confused what from Kili.

I hoped that they understood the weight of the situation. Kili and Tauriel weren't going to meet at all if we didn't make it back in time!

"The needed conversation may take some time. I suggest that we retire to the living room for further discussion. Yalena and I will change into more appropriate garb, and meet you two young ones there."

I nodded, gave him a quick hug, and then the three of us went our separate ways.

"Kili, it's this way," I said, upon noticing that he had remained standing beside the table.

He threw a suspicious look in the direction that my grandparents had taken before following me.

"There is no way that those two are old enough to be grandparents," Kili hissed as he followed me.

"I told you they'd look different," I pointed out.

"Yes, but I didn't think you meant _that_ different," said Kili.

"Whatever. Any other remarks?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, actually. I thought you told me that we were humans. They're still so much taller than I am, and they're most certainly taller than you are. Also, you're right. They speak strangely," He concluded.

"Yes, I did warn you about the speaking. As for their height? They've always been that tall. I'm just particularly short," I shrugged.

We reached the large, cozy living room. It was occupied by a sturdy carven coffee table, two armchairs, and a big, comfy couch that I had taken several happy naps on. The armchairs were placed on either side of a fireplace and stood in such a way that they faced the couch.

"Don't sit in a chair, especially not grandfather's," I warned.

"Right," Kili said absentmindedly, plopping down on the couch. Something else occupied his thoughts and I wanted to know what it was.

I crossed to the fireplace and picked up the matchbook that sat on the hearth. I struck a match and lit the log a flame. It slowly caught and spread, illuminating the room with a soft glow.

"This is so perfect. If only we didn't have to go back to that inhospitable forest," I observed.

"Mhmm," was Kili's only reply. He was deep in thought and saw no reason to give me a full answer.

"I'll be right back," I said, an idea occurring to me.

I hurried back to the kitchen, blinking in the bright artificial light overhead, and crossed to the fridge. I opened it, and only had to search a moment before finding what I was looking for. I pulled a pitcher from the fridge and turned to set it on the island. I grabbed two mugs from a nearby cabinet and filled them with the light amber liquid from the pitcher. I put both mugs in the microwave to warm them up for a few seconds, replacing the pitcher in the fridge as they heated. When I opened the microwave, the kitchen was flooded with the scent of apples and cinnamon.

I inhaled deeply, before gingerly taking both mugs in my hands, and carrying them to the living room.

I took a seat on the couch next to Kili, setting his mug down in front of him, and mine in front of me.

"Is that apple cider?" he asked, his attention returning to me.

"It had better be. My grandmother makes the best apple cider in this entire world. It's my favorite, along with anything else apple related. Try it," I encouraged him.

He did, and once he had taken a gulp of the light amber brew, he concurred that it was the best he had ever tried.

"I had a thought," he said, glancing at the doorway to ensure that we were still alone.

"Care to share it with the class?" I asked, taking a sip from my own mug.

"I'm going to guess that you get your singing abilities from this side of the family. From your grandmother, to be specific. Am I wrong?" he asked.

"No. How did you guess? Also, how did you know I could sing?" I asked him, suspiciously.

"It wasn't a guess, it was logical if my theory is correct," Kili stated.

"What theory? And again, how did you know I could sing?" I asked, even more confused than I had been before.

"Fili might have mentioned it once or twice...every hour," Kili said, smirking at me.

I just glared at him and burned my tongue on a huge gulp of cider.

"You still haven't answered my other question. What theory do you have?" I choked out, my tongue still burning.

"Right, I was getting to that. So, your grandparents are both able to go from Earth to Middle Earth at a moment's notice. They can also send people between worlds, can they not?" he asked.

"Yes, but-" I started.

"I thought so. That means that they have power. I don't know what men are like here, but I'm guessing that they can't hop around existence as they please. Next, they are tall, fair, and both appear much too young to be grandparents."

"Yes, but what does this mean?" I asked.

"Give me another moment. Your grandfather is a smith and crafter, while your grandmother is a gardener and planter...What? Nothing? Come on Aria, their names are Aaron and Yalena for pity's sake. Doesn't that sound familiar?" He coached.

I sat there in a blank for seconds over, pondering what he had said, before it clicked into place.

"No." I said emphatically.

"Do you have proof that I'm wrong?" Kili asked, a grin breaking across his face.

I stood, hands on hips to answer him. "I think I would know if my own grandparents were Aulë and Yavanna, thank you very much!" I said, my voice raised above its usual volume.

"And yet, sometimes it takes the eye of an outsider to see what a loved one cannot," mused a voice from behind me.

I froze in horror, and I could feel my face turning brick red as my grandmother walked silently past me, to take her armchair.

I plopped back down on the couch, my jaw gaping.

"Wait, he's right? How did Kili of all people figure that out?" I asked.

"I was right? Hang on, what do you mean, Kili of all people?" he asked indignantly.

My grandmother spoke before I could. "Kili, I watched you and your elder brother grow up alongside young master Ori, and I always had this thought about the three of you. Master Ori can read books, Fili can read crowds, and you can read people. There's an honesty about you that helps you see who is before you, regardless of how they choose to hide themselves. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you were able to see this."

"How could you not tell me?" I asked, once my grandfather and grandmother were both seated across from us.

"We knew that you would not believe us. When we thought it time to tell your father, he took us for a pair of mad fools and left. This you know all too well," said my grandfather.

"Alright. I can understand that. What I can't understand, is why we're having this conversation at all. Did you just wake up one morning and decide to go have a kid on Earth?" I asked.

"It was an idea that we pondered over many years. We each had our own creations on Middle Earth, but we had nothing that belonged to the both of us. Not in the way that we wished it to be. We decided to raise our child in a place where they could grow without the burden of their parent's status. When we found this place, a place where our child could learn of Middle Earth as if it were a story, and then one day return home. We crafted the pendant around your neck as a means of transport, but your father had grown to worldly in his ideas, and when we presented it to him, he left for the final time. We had hoped that he, with his knowledge of the stories of Middle Earth, could one day return there. When you found your way back to us, we could see that you had the open mind that your father had lacked. We almost immediately hoped that you might do what your father had not, and when we received the call for help from Galadriel, and decided that the events of The Hobbit were finally happening, we knew that there wasn't time to tell you. We sent you the pendant and hoped that you would realize how to use it," My Grandmother explained.

I sat in silence for a moment before speaking.

"That answers my question as to why I was chosen, but I didn't figure out how the pendant worked until after I had used it. Also, how did JRR Tolkien and Peter Jackson know the stories if they hadn't happened yet?" I asked.

"They had a series of vivid premonitions that they, being the men they are, mistook for creative vision," my grandfather answered from his great armchair.

"Right, but there's something I still don't understand. How can I now speak languages, and why do I turn from dwarf to human? Kili too, for that matter," I observed.

"There are no dwarven children of mine on this Earth. Kili took the only form he could. As for you, Aria, you are my kin. You resemble a dwarf when in Middle Earth because the dwarves are my creations. You retained your slight willowy figure, for the blood of humans and of the Valar still runs in your veins. As for your ability to speak the languages of Middle Earth, that is in our blood, so it is in yours. You also may begin to notice that you find strength and clarity when you touch stone. That is my gift to you. Wherever there is stone, you will find strength and clarity of thought...among other things," my grandfather told me, his eyes twinkling at his own cleverness in the giving of this gift.

"I have noticed. That helped me to overcome my fear of heights on two different occasions. Thank you a hundred times over," I told my grandfather.

"So, Aria isn't a dwarf at all?" Kili asked, breaking his silence for the first time.

"No. By blood, she is the second of the Valarindi. Child of the Valar, second only to her father.

I had to take a large gulp of my now cool apple cider in order to digest this news. I looked into my now empty mug and found myself wishing for something stronger than cider. My life didn't make sense anymore!

To be fair, it hadn't made much sense before this revelation, but now? I felt turned on my head, and I had no idea what to do with myself.

To put it simply, I was reeling.

"Did you give a gift as well, Yavv-, uh, My Lady?" Kili asked, fumbling for the proper title.

"I gave a very different sort of gift. My sister and I have always been singers. I merely enhanced Aria's own natural talent for music," my grandmother (Yavvana!) said gently.

"So then I was right in assuming Aria's gifts were from you. It makes perfect sense, from the way I'd heard it described. Fili told me that he wasn't sure a voice such as that could exist until he heard Aria sing."

"Fili said that?" I asked quietly, my cheeks beginning to redden in a blush.

Before Kili could give confirmation, my grandfather sought to change the tone of the conversation.

"And now, we must get down to business. What was the manner of your return to this Earth, and how do we return you," my grandfather (Aulë!) spoke in his deep voice.

I gathered my wits, and brought myself to attention. I needed to focus now. There was much left to speak of and much left to do before the rising of the sun, and now was not the time to let myself get caught up in thoughts of Fili.

 _I miss him already. Is that bad? Do I not miss him enough? What would this visit be like if he were here?_

 _No. Focus._

 _It's time to focus._

 _Get home to Middle Earth._

 _Get home to him?_

 **Recap: So, Tauriel doesn't like healing, Fili talks about Aria's singing to his younger brother, and hey, Aria loves every food or drink with apples in it...did I miss anything?**

 **Oh ya, Aria's a child of the Valar! Can somebody please find her something stronger than cider! (I think she's a bit freaked out)**


	24. Answers and what to do with them

**It's been a while, but sadly life as a full-time student tends to keep you away from writing. So, here's number 24!**

 **Let's see if we can get Fili and Aria back to Middle Earth.**

 **Chapter 24**

"Let us begin with the first things first. Why are you here, and how was young master Kili able to tag along?" asked my grandmother.

"I don't know for sure. We were getting ready to camp down for the night when I thought I saw something in the woods. I followed it because I'm an idiot, and I was separated from the company. The pendant shot out of my backpack and-" I was cut off mid-sentence by my grandfather.

"Ahhh, I see. For how long were you not wearing that pendant?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I took it off last night to show it to Fili. I put it in my backpack after that," I explained, not fully understanding why he needed this information in the first place.

"There's your answer. We made the pendant in such a way that, if it were removed, it would transport the wearer back to this house. You didn't replace the pendant around your neck after showing it to Fili, so at the event of the next sunset, it found its way back to you, and were taken back here. As to your presence, Kili, were you touching Aria or the pendant at sunset?" Grandmother asked.

"Yes, both. It appeared to be strangling her so I tried to remove it. Seems rather dangerous for a safety precaution if I may add," Kili observed.

"Maybe so, but it was put in place so that no one could wrestle it away from her if an attempt to steal it was made. Now we know that it works, we can send you back post haste," grandfather observed.

"Great, can we go now?" I asked eagerly.

"Sadly, no. The pendant only works at sunrise and sunset. It was necessary to maintain as much control over the passage between worlds as we could. You two can be on your way the moment the sun rises," my grandmother smiled at us.

I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that this nightmare would soon be over. I settled back into the couch before realizing that once I left this place, I would be returning to another nightmare. The truth, whether I wanted it or not, was that the company of Thorin Oakenshield was nearing our journey's end. I still hadn't the foggiest idea what I was supposed to do to stop the impending deaths that accompanied the battle of the five armies.

My grandfather's voice snapped me out of my reverie.

"We would like to thank you, Kili, for coming to the aid of our only granddaughter. I have a gift I would like to bestow upon you before you go. If you would follow me to the forge."

Kili looked at me in a momentary hesitation, so I rolled my eyes and offered a slight jerk of the head, directing him to the door.

He nodded to me before followed my grandfather from the room, leaving my grandmother and I alone.

"Something troubles you, child," she said at length, standing and crossing to sit beside me.

"Yes. I don't know how the heck I'm supposed to complete the task before me. Are you sure that I cannot change what I have seen in the films?" I asked, a note of pleading in my tone.

"Sadly, I am quite sure. There are ways to complete this task, but changing what has already been seen is not one of them," she said.

"What happened to free will? What happened to choice?" I asked, desperate for some hope.

"These events were set into place by choice. No matter what paths are chosen in the future, they will lead to the occurrence of these horrific events," she observed forlornly.

"Then why do you even bother?" I snapped, frustration spilling over into my countenance.

"Peace child. Think about what I have told you. You may also calm your temper, for it does you a disservice," she reprimanded me.

"I'm sorry. I'm just lost, that's all. We're so close to our journey's end already, and I haven't the faintest clue what to do," I told her, a hint of desperation creeping into my voice.

She just repeated her previous statement. "Think about what I have told you."

"What? That I can't do anything to change what I have seen?" I asked.

"Precisely. If you can not change what you have seen, what then can you do?" she asked patiently.

I frowned, unsure of what she meant. I couldn't change what I had seen. Then how...it hit me! In that moment, I realized once more that the story into which I had been thrust did not move from scene to scene. Days, sometimes even weeks, passed in between the scenes shown in the films.

"I've got to change what's in between the scenes," I whispered.

"Well done. Now, I cannot guide you by word of mouth, but there is one gift I could give you," my grandmother said.

She reached into a pocket and produced a vile. She handed it to me with a warning.

"I can't tell you how to use this, you must rely on the label to tell you what you need to know. These are precious. Precious and ancient. Do not lose them, and whatever may come do not squander them. I may tell you this. You search for a means to save the line of Durin, but you have carried the answer with you this entire time. I mean this in the most physical way possible," she told me.

"I'm assuming that's another riddle for me to figure out?" I asked, resigned to the fact that my grandmother couldn't interfere.

She nodded and smiled sadly.

"It is all I can do. The rest is in your hands, for they are more capable than you know," she said, taking me into her arms.

I returned the embrace for a few moments before she spoke the words that I knew would come eventually.

"It is time, I believe, to say our final farewells. The sun rises over these mountains in but a few minutes."

"But the sun's only just set a few hours ago," I said, momentarily confused.

"That was only the case in Mirkwood. Here, you arrived in the small hours of the morning. When you reappear in the forest, it will be the dead of night," she said.

"Will I see you again?" I asked in sudden desperation.

"Oh my dear, do you forget who we are in such haste? We may walk as we wish through middle earth, though we may take whatever form we wish, you will recognize us. Yes, you will see us again as sure as the flowers will bloom come springtime," she said, her smile growing to one of happiness.

"Except when you're Yavanna and can make flowers grow in the dead of winter at your bidding," I smiled.

"Of course. Now, let us find your grandfather and young Kili, shall we? I believe they must be finished in the forge by now," my grandmother said, rising from the couch.

I followed her from the room, taking the two empty cider mugs with me as I went. I set them on the island in the kitchen just as the door to my grandfather's forge opened.

My grandfather emerged, followed by Kili, who held a sheathed dagger in his hands and a slightly star-struck look on his face.

"I take it farewells are in order," my grandfather said, observing my move to retrieve my backpack from the floor.

"We have but minutes until the sun rises," my grandmother said.

Kili looked momentarily confused but carried this news fully within stride.

My grandfather crossed the room and hugged me.

"Farewell granddaughter. I hope that you think no worse of us for concealing our true identities from you," he said.

I pulled away. "Of course not grandfather. You did what you had to. Speaking of obligations, I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you alone. It's actually quite important," I said, glad that I would get the chance to talk to my grandfather in private before leaving.

I followed him down the hall and back into the cozy living room. I checked to make sure that we were well out of Kili's earshot before speaking.

" Is it really true? Everything I've read, everything I've seen, all of it?" I asked.

"As real as you or I. Both the good and the bad have been my life since its beginning, and now are a part of yours," he told me proudly.

"The bad as well?" I asked.

"The bad as well," he confirmed.

"Like the fact that dwarves are separated from men and elves after death?" I asked quietly, afraid to ask the question I had originally wanted an answer for.

"No, not that. My people have no great wish to spend their afterlife with men, or elves especially," my grandfather explained.

"I can think of one who would," I said quietly. "Two, actually," I added, remembering Gimli's friendship with Legolas.

"You know that you are not affected by this, do you not? After death, you may cross freely between the resting places of men and dwarves. You need not worry about such things," he assured me.

"No, I know, but Kili does," I said quietly.

"Why would Kili worry about separation from elves-" my grandfather stopped mid sentence. "Ah, I see what you mean. You elude to the love between young Kili and the elf Tauriel."

I nodded, bowing my head.

"Do you really think that we are so heartless as to separate two lovers, merely because they are of different races?" my grandfather said, his low voice softening.

I looked up, a surprised hope in my eyes.

"If the two of them wish it, they may cross between resting places. It is rare, but we have made the exception before. Now go, the sun will soon bring you back to Middle Earth, and if Kili misses you, we can't send him back," my grandfather said, and I turned towards the kitchen. My grandmother passed me in the hallway, and I stopped to say one final goodbye. She smoothed a strand of hair away from my face and smiled.

"Farewell child," she said softly.

"I love you," I replied.

She smiled graciously, and we parted.

I walked back to the kitchen where Kili still stood, took a deep breath, and asked, "are you ready to go?"

"Considering the fact that this is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me, yes I'm ready to go," he said in hushed tones.

"You seem to be handling it very well," I said.

"That may be, but I've had about eight heart palpitations in my head," said Kili.

"Just because I understand what you meant doesn't mean it made any sense. You can't have a heart palpitation in your head, Kili!" I said, laughing at the ridiculousness of his statement.

"Yes and you supposedly can't meet your maker until you die. Yet here we stand," said Kili, joining in.

"Not for much longer," I said, glancing down at the pendant around my neck.

It had begun to glow, a bright light emanating from the rune. I linked arms with Kili, holding on tight to make sure he was taken along. I grasped the pendant in my hand, holding it tight despite the vibrations now running through my fingers. I got one last glimpse of the kitchen before a burst of powerful light was replaced with the all too familiar sensation of falling.

"I do believe I'm passed my worries about that visit. What is it, seven times that I've bested you now?" Tauriel asked as she helped Legolas back to his feet, and handed him his sword.

"It's been eight now, and I believe we've had enough for the day. Shall we go back to the halls?" he asked.

Their patrol had been a successful one, as patrols invariably were when Tauriel lead them. She was a natural born leader and after proving that her maidenhood in no way inhibited her fighting abilities, Tauriel had gained respect and loyalty from the other members of the guard.

Their faith in their leader made daily patrols quick, effective, and to the point. The only hiccups in their routine had been the nests full of large spiders. They had cleansed the woods surrounding the realm of the foul beasts three times in the last month alone, but that day, they had seen no signs that the spiders were returning.

After the conclusion of the patrol, Tauriel and Legolas had elected to remain at the fringe of the woods to spar. It had been Tauriel who suggested this idea, and thought Legolas was surprised by this offer, he was in no way opposed to it. Indeed, by the time their session had ended, Legolas was glad that no one else had witnessed the matches.

He had lost soundly to Tauriel eight times, and she showed no signs of tiring. The maiden he faced now bore no resemblance to the one he had bested so easily that morning.

"Shall we return?" He asked, once again, drawing her attention back to him.

"Yes, just give me a moment," Tauriel replied.

"What for?" her friend asked, worry showing on his face.

"I need to check something," she said, glancing up into the tree tops.

Before Legolas could interfere, Tauriel moved to the nearest tree, and gracefully ascended into its branches. Sh climbed higher and higher until at last, her fiery auburn hair mingled with the red leaves of the canopy. The late afternoon sun was bright, but did not blind her. She inhaled the fresh air deeply before focusing her mind on the reason for her climb. She turned northwest, and spotted what she believed to have seen earlier on patrol.

Webs.

Webs, and a rustling in the trees that assured Tauriel of the presence of the foul arachnids.

She shivered. She hated the spiders with a passion, but she would have to report the sighting to Thranduil before doing anything about them.

Tauriel took one final breath of pure air before descending through the foliage and leaping the last few feet to the ground.

"What need was there for that?" Legolas asked.

"The spiders are spawning again. I saw more webs," Tauriel said.

"We only just cleared the forest last week. This must be a mistake," Legolas protested.

"Do you doubt me?" Tauriel asked skeptically.

"No, I merely doubt your eyesight," her friend said, hoisting his bow onto his back.

"I know what I saw. They were fresh, not remnants of the old webs. I will include this in my report to your father," Tauriel warned him.

"Do as you will," Legolas sighed, and the two of them departed the forest together.

The road back to the halls of King Thranduil remained almost non existent until one reached the bridge to the main gate. It was this route that Legolas and Tauriel took to return to their home. The gate was opened at Legolas's bidding, and Tauriel turned to catch one final glimpse of the sky before it shut behind them.

"How fared the patrol?"Adanion, a tall raven haired elf asked Legolas.

"Better than the sparring match that followed, I can assure you of that," said Legolas tiredly.

"Tauriel bested you, I take it?" Adanion asked.

"Time and time over," said Tauriel, offering a satisfied smile in Legolas's direction.

"I am to tell the both of you that King Thranduil wishes to have no report from the patrol. He says that this is to be a night of feasting, and that he does not want to be bothered with the triviality of a routine patrol," Adanion said, straightening is he delivered his proclamation.

"I'm sorry Adanion, but I must report to the King. This is a matter of the utmost importance that he should be aware of, feast or no feast," Tauriel protested.

"Of what nature is your news?" Adanion asked.

Tauriel began to respond, but Legolas cut her off.

"Tauriel saw some old webs and observed a rustling in the treetops. Nothing to worry about, just some leftovers from the last nest blown about in the wind. Trouble yourself not, friend," Legolas said.

"Have no fear, this news does not trouble me, but I would encourage you not to tell the King. He can be temperamental as it is, and we don't need to disturb his merry making with old news," said Adanion.

Tauriel saw that he was right in one respect. The King would want to see proof that the spiders had returned, and would not look kindly on her reporting merely signs of their presence. She mentally cooled her rising temper, and concurred with Adanion before departing the company of her two friends, and making for her chambers.

Tauriel regretted the cancellation of her report to the King in the same manner that she relished seeing the spider webs.

She didn't want the spiders to return, and she certainly didn't want to tell the King about it, but she should have liked the distraction. She had been trying in vain all day to forget the conversation that she had with Valaina that morning.

She was determined not to romantically notice any elf of the opposite sex, and she was especially determined not to fall in love with one. Just a few more years, and Tauriel would leave. She was not going to let a fluttering in her stomach and an unexpectedly perfect dream dictate the path she wanted for herself.

She wanted to be free of the forest, and see some more of the world. She couldn't do that with a lover of husband holding her back.

It was these thoughts that carried Tauriel through the halls and to her rooms. Once inside, she deposited her knives and quiver unceremoniously on her armchair.

The bow, she took a little more care for, setting it gently on a small table in her living area.

Archer and weapon had a simple relationship. She cared for it and it protected her and those she cared for. A simple but effective arrangement that Tauriel had no intention of disrupting.

After this, she sunk into the arm chair reserved for visitors, resting her chin on palm, staring at her closed door. No sooner did she settle into this position when her restless mind brought her back to her feet. She paced her chambers for what felt like hours, battling her own thoughts.

Trying to convince herself that the dream had been just a dream, and that she had nothing to worry about. It was in this state that Legolas found her.

In reality, it had only been ten minutes or so since she had left him to his conversation with Adanion, and Legolas hadn't had the opportunity to bid her farewell.

He had knocked tentatively upon her door, and received a slightly harassed answer from within.

"Yes, what is it?" came Tauriel's voice, betraying her disposition.

"It is I, Legolas," the king's son said rather formally.

"Oh, come in," said the voice, its tone amended to one of polite control.

Legolas wished she wouldn't guard her emotions in that way, but he entered nonetheless.

"I was hoping you would join us for the feast tonight," Legolas said simply, never having been one for mincing words.

"If you wish it, I will be there," Tauriel said, bowing her head slightly. This was yet another thing Legolas wished she wouldn't do around him.

"Then I will see you there," said Legolas, returning the bow.

"And I you," she said.

Without further adu, Legolas turned and left, closing the door behind him. Tauriel was preoccupied. Something was on her mind. He would ask her about it at the feast that night.

Meanwhile, behind the closed door, Tauriel sighed in relief. She had forgotten about the feast and now that she had been reminded, she jumped at the idea of going to the feast. She had no special love for social engagements but at the moment, she wanted desperately for a distraction.

Though she had been able to regin her composure, she had been thrown for a loop by that dream, and by the time she had finished washing and dressing for the feast, she thought she knew why.

It was not for fear of love itself that the dream unsettled her. It was the sinking sensation in her stomach of being trapped. Tauriel had feared enclosed spaces since that fateful day spent under her parent's bed, listening to their dying cries. No, she hated feeling closed in an trapped, and this forest had been constricting her for too long.

Tauriel brushed her hair, freeing it of a few tangles and the odd leaf or two, before surveying herself in the mirror.

She wasn't on guard that night, so Tauriel took the rare opportunity to wear a dress.

The garment was simple enough in design, a fitted bodice, flowing skirt, and elegant collar, but it was the fabric of this dress that Tauriel loved. The bottle green velvet was especially flattering, and seemed to set her auburn hair aflame.

Once Tauriel was ready to leave, she stuck a small dagger up her sleeve, just in case. Having done this, she departed for the feast.

The feast of starlight was one celebrated by all elves, but loved especially by those who dwelt in the woods. The feasting never failed to be of great magnificence and joy was found by all, over those three days in autumn.

That night's feast, the feast of the second night, was well underway when Tauriel made her way to the great hall of the King's realm. Indeed, she was able to slip in unnoticed.

The great space was lit by lanterns hung from walkways arching overhead. The soft hum of a waterfall could be heard from anywhere in the room, and if one turned to gaze upon the King's celebratory throne, they would see a great expanse of mist and falling water drifting down past the great room, to the depths of the realm.

In Tauriel's eyes, the beauty of that place was only lacking in one thing.

The stars could not be seen from within the realm, and Tauriel missed the days of celebrating in the forest. The trees decked out in lights, and the woods echoing with music and laughter.

That had been before the dragon.

Now, they made merry under stone. Their King had grown even more scrupulous and even more secretive. Tauriel didn't know how the elves deprived of a window to the outside world could survive.

She was jolted from her reverie by Legolas and some of the other younger elves.

"Ah, so our captain has decided to join us," said one, a long time friend of Tauriel's.

"Tauriel you simply must try the woodland trifle Gallion's made. It must be the best thing I've ever tasted!" said another.

Tauriel felt herself relax into steady conversation and did indeed sample Gallion the butler's newest confection. It was every bit as good as her friend had suggested.

In fact, Tauriel was thoroughly enjoying the evening and had managed to tuck the unwelcome dream to the back of her mind.

Legolas had just convinced her to try a fermented apple cider that fizzed on your tongue and tickled your throat as it went down. The drink was very good, and by the time she finished her first flute of it, her companions had emptied the rest of the barrel.

The young elves spent the minutes that followed, laughing over their accomplishment. Tauriel joined in hesitantly, but was soon free of worries.

"Tonight," she thought, "is a good night."

If only it were.

For at that very moment, not terribly far away, events were set in motion that would conspire to change the elfmaid's life forever.

An undying spirit stirred in Dol Guldur to the south.

The trees of Mirkwood swayed under the weight of vast webs, bearing creatures whose intent was dark.

And, more than a day after their disappearance, two figures hit the forest floor with a thump, thrust back into a journey whose end was now more unclear than ever.

 **So, after all that, all Aria got were some leaves!? (Oh ya and the shock of her life)**

 **I wonder what they're for...**

 **Also, I'm glad she's happy, but it's going to take a lot more than some apple cider to make Tauriel forget about that dream.**

 **And finally, let's play a game of which dwarf ends up in the empty apple cider barrel! Hint: answer's in the book!**


	25. Books, runes, and secrets

**Here you go! Aaannnd they're back! This chapter will just be Aria and co.:)**

 **Chapter 25**

"Oof."

"Ow."

"That is going to ache dreadfully come morning!" I heard Kili groan beside me seconds after we hit the forest floor.

We hadn't fallen from very high up, but he was right. This was going to ache.

"Why couldn't we have landed in a river like last time," I complained.

"Because the only one around here's poisonous according to Gand-" Kili paused mid-sentence. "You landed in a river the first time?" he asked.

From the corner of my eye, I could see him rolling over onto his back.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, wheezing slightly as I turned over onto my own back.

"Because that explains so bloody much," said Kili, laughing for some reason unknown to me.

"What? What does it explain?" I asked, wincing as I sat up. The company's fire wasn't too far off, only a short walk through the trees if we could get to our feet.

"The way you looked when we first met. You were drenched and you were a terrible mess," he said, jokingly.

"Gee thanks," I said, laughing myself.

"It's true, the entire company, well almost the entire company, agrees on it," he said.

I laughed tiredly before realizing what he had said.

"Almost the entire company?" I asked, and Kili stopped laughing.

"Well, I mean, nearly the entire company," he said quickly, before sitting up with another groan.

It was a strange response, but I decided not to dwell on it.

Kili got to his feet and held out a hand to help me to mine. I took it gratefully and was standing before I realized what had just happened.

"Hang on, my arm doesn't hurt anymore," I said, flexing the limb in question, surprised when I received no protest.

"It shouldn't have healed that quickly, should it?" I asked.

"I'd be worried if it didn't. You resemble a dwarf most closely, and we're slow to injure and quick to heal. Don't know much about you Valarindi though," he teased.

"Oh, shut up," I said bending over to retrieve my backpack from where it had fallen beside me.

I hoisted it onto my back and noted that it had grown in heft, and my shoulders were more strained to carry its weight. Oh, well. I wasn't leaving any of that lavender soap behind.

"I wonder what they'll do when we turn up," Kili pondered.

"I can't say for certian. Whack us over the head with shovels maybe?" I asked.

"Where on earth are they gonna get a shovel?" asked Kili as we walked towards the light of the campfire.

"I don't know, Fili used to have one," I said, remembering that the older prince had indeed carried a shovel in his pack at one time.

"Oh, I remember that. Before we left home, we fought for a full ten minutes about who should carry it. I won," He said, throwing me a classic Kili grin.

"Oh sure you did. I bet he just gave up and took it to get you to shut your mouth," I laughed.

"How did you guess?" asked Kili in mock surprise.

"As soon as we get back, I'm going to sleep," said Kili after a pause.

"What, is it past your bedtime?" I asked teasingly.

"Like you don't have one too," Kili retorted.

"Oh, right. It's whenever Thorin tells us to. I forgot," I said, rolling my eye at him.

It was at that moment that we came upon the camp. We both fell silent and surveyed the small clearing. All of the company seemed to be sleeping around the campfire. All except for one.

"Kili, Aria, as that you?" came Fili's voice from the opposite side of the fire. He had apparently been put on watch duty and stood when we entered the clearing.

"Where in Mahal's name have you two been!" he demanded.

I can't describe how good it felt to hear his voice again, but I do remember feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. A weight that I hadn't been aware of until it was gone.

Kili crossed to the fire and I followed, watching, as the two brothers exchanged a hearty embraced.

"No sign of you two for a night and a day! I thought you were gone, but everyone else told me I was seeing things," Fili said.

"A night and a day you say? Time must pass more quickly in the other place," Kili said, looking to me for an explanation.

I was now standing right beside him and could see his face in the light of the flickering fire, a look of worry in his dark eyes

I nodded. "I think you're right," I said simply.

I was surprised to notice that I now had Fili's full attention. I reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. Ugh, I had to stop doing that!

"What other place? Aria, what does he mean?" Fili asked.

"I forgot to put my pendant back on after showing you. It brought Kili and I back to my world," I explained in as few words as possible.

"And, we met her grandparents. Let me tell you, they are the most interesting people I have ever met. Especially her grandfather. We had a long talk in his forge room," said Kili.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something," said Fili, looking between his brother and I.

"Yes, I might ask the same question," I said suspiciously, upon the realization that I didn't know what had passed between my grandfather and Kili in the forge.

"Because there is something I'm not telling you. And I won't tell either of you, so don't bother asking," said Kili, grinning.

"You are infuriating," said Fili.

"At least I didn't conceal the true identities of my grandparents and lie about my race," Kili said defensively.

"What?" Fili asked.

"I didn't know," I said defensively.

"Didn't know what?" Fili asked.

"I'm not a dwarf. I'm not a human either," I said, my speech stunted.

"But you look nothing like an elf," Fili said.

"I'm not an elf. I'm-I'm a Valarindi," I said. "It means that the blood of the Valar runs in my veins."

There was but a moment's pause before Fili responded.

"I know what it means, but that's impossible. They don't exist," He said, looking slightly shocked.

"They do, they're just incredibly rare. She's the only one if we're being technical," Kili said.

"Incredibly rare my ax," scoffed Fili. "You had both better get to bed, Aria you must be exhausted. I'll take watch," he finished.

"You don't own an an ax," grumbled Kili. "But I'll take you up on that offer, I'm going to bed," he said.

I stood for a moment as Fili went to sit, back against a sizable boulder, to take the watch. I was tired, but so much had happened to me in what seemed like the last few hours. I needed few minutes just to take it all in. I made my way over to the boulder, and sat down beside Fili, dropping my backpack on the ground beside me.

"I meant it, you should get some sleep," Fili said, looking at me.

I leaned my head back against the boulder and shook it slowly.

"I can't. There's just too much to think about before I can bother with sleep. Besides, I don't like the idea of a nap in this forest," I said.

"I know what you mean, I haven't gotten much sleep either. This place is suffocating the entire company. I don't think they even know it's happening, and I'm trying to keep my head clear, but even I can feel my wits slipping," Fili said, staring into the fire.

"Is it really that bad?" I asked.

"No one cooked dinner tonight, and Thorin didn't bother to set a watch. As I said before, nobody even noticed that you two were gone. I was beginning to believe my own senses affected until you came back," he said.

"You took the news remarkably well. I thought you'd be shocked," I admitted.

"At this point, I don't think you could do anything to shock me. You could tell me your grandparents were Mahal and Yavanna, and I wouldn't be phased," he said sincerely.

"Good, but for future reference, Grandfather does prefer to go by Aulë," I said in as nonchalant a voice as I could muster.

Fili laughed.

"Keep it down, I'll catch my death of exhaustion. I've met my maker but I'd prefer not to make a repeat visit for a few more years at least," mumbled Kili, not far away from us.

Fili desisted, and turned to me. "You weren't kidding," he said.

"Of course not," I answered. "I-this doesn't change anything, does it?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, I guessed Aulë and Yavanna as soon as you told me you were descended from the Valar," He said.

"How did you guess that?" I asked.

He paused for a moment before saying "You're voice and your height."

I spoke next in mock indignation! "What about my height?"

"Oh come on, don't look at me like that," he said.

"Like what?" I asked innocently.

"Like you can't decide whether to laugh at me or yell at me," he said.

"Well I thought you would be used to that by now, as it seems to be all that I ever do," I said.

"I don't think I could if I tried," he said.

At this, I felt a blush creeping across my cheeks and, forgetting that it was already dark, turned my face away towards my backpack. I changed the subject.

"Kili knows everything now," I said.

There was a momentary pause before Fili answered me.

"He doesn't have a betraying bone in his body. Your secret is safe with him."

This was something I already knew, but it helped to have Fili say it out loud.

At that moment, I remembered my grandmother's parting gift and dug the vial from my backpack.

"What is that?" Fili asked when I held it to the light of the small auburn leaves inside the bottle seemed to catch the light as I rotated the bottle in my hand.

"It was a gift from my grandmother. It's important, but she said she couldn't tell me how to use it. She isn't allowed to meddle in affairs more than she already has.

"Well, what does the label say?" he asked.

"Fili, you know I can't read," I told him.

"Well, that won't be too hard to fix. Give me a moment," he said, pulling a small dagger from the underside of one of his sleeves. He then etched the Westron alphabet into the earth near the fire. Beneath each letter, he drew a rune.

"Simple enough, assuming you can read Westron," he said.

I rolled my eyes, and pulled the old copy of Romeo and Juliet from my backpack, setting it on the ground.

"Yes, I think I can read Westron."

"There you are then," he said, gesturing towards the marks in the earth.

I leaned in towards the fire, holding the vial to the light. I made out the first few letters quite easily with the help of Fili's impromptu chart, but soon found myself unable to distinguish.

"Can you help me with this?" I asked Fili.

"What is it?" he queried by way of reply, leaning in towards the fire.

Our shoulders were brushing together now, and I nearly pulled away, tucking my hair behind one ear once again.

"I've made out the first few letters quite easily, but I can't tell if this one's a 'j' on an 'i'," I said.

"Neither, it's actually an 'l'. See the extra line across the center," he pointed out.

"Oh, right. I see it," I said.

I went back to work, quickly deciphering the rest of the label, aware of the fact that Fili's shoulder was still brushing mine with no effort in moving away.

"I've got it, but I don't understand what it means," I said at length.

"The sleep of Yavanna," he read from the top of the label.

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused.

"It's an event in our history. Much of the life on Middle Earth fell into a death-like slumber until the first rising of the sun. That's all I know, but I think I know what these leaves are. I remember reading that there's a power over plants that were alive at that time, but they're incredibly rare and hard to find," he said. "Do you think that's what these are?" he asked.

"Yes, but I still don't know what they're for," I lamented.

"What does the rest of the label say?" he asked.

"Chew one by mouth and swallow. Expect hasty results within two minutes," I recited.

"Is that all?"

"No. Next, it says this. Swallow one without chewing. Expect delayed results within fifteen minutes. It's a guide to dosage, but I still don't know what it's for. Grandmother said that that I had been carrying the answer all along, but I have no clue what that's supposed to mean," I said.

Maybe you're thinking too hard about it," said Fili slowly, brow creasing in concentration.

"Oh and I suppose you have the answer then?" I asked, frustrated that he would tell me to stop thinking at a time such as this.

I turned away from the vial to look at him and found that our eyes were but inches apart.

It seemed as if an age past in the next few moments. Both caught unaware by the situation, neither of us thought to move, to do, or to say anything.

I was sure my heartbeat could be heard for miles around but I couldn't help it. I had never felt so vulnerable, so unguarded, in my entire life. I was sure that in those moments, Fili's azure durin eyes could see right through my every thought, my every worry, and my every secret. And yet, I had never felt so sure that I was safe. The frustration left my grey-blue eyes and I knew for certain that I could be the most difficult, temperamental, frustrating person this side of the undying lands and I could still count on him to help me, to understand me, and to listen when no one else would.

Then, without even realizing it, I reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.

The pressure in the air between us seemed to evaporate and Fili reached for my backpack, and picked up my copy of Romeo and Juliet from beside it, handing the book to me.

"The only thing you've had with you this entire time," he nearly whispered.

"You're right, I was overthinking it. That would be the obvious answer, I'm sorry I snapped," I said, taking the book from him and holding it next to the vial. I held them together, looking back and forth between the two, desperately trying to make a connection between the two, but finding none.

I dropped both items to the ground, a wave of exhaustion hitting me like a truck. I buried my head in my hands, my back resting once more against the rock. I bit my lip to make sure that I didn't break down crying.

It didn't work.

Looking back on the adventure, I don't know how I went that long without breaking down. The tears flowed freely from my eyes, and while I wasn't very loud, I was still utterly embarrassed. I had started crying in front of the one person I hoped would never see me do so, and while I knew he wouldn't think any less of me, I still felt utterly humiliated and childish.

I hadn't been crying for more than a moment before I looked up and tried to apologize.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just, one minute I'm a girl with a habit of getting myself into trouble and a slight obsession with a world that doesn't exist, mourning the deaths of three fictional characters, and now I'm here and I'm supposed to save you and I have no idea how I'm supposed to do it, and there's so little time left to do it," I told him before realizing what I had just said and attempting to cover my tracks, all while tears ran freely down my cheeks.

"When I said save you, I meant save the company. Collectively. As a whole," I said, hiccupping as I finished.

I heard Fili sigh heavily by my side.

"Aria," he said very quietly.

I sniffed, taking a shuddering breath that failed to steady me.

He reached over and took both of my hands in his, running his thumbs over the backs of my palms in a soothing manner, until I turned and looked up, meeting his eyes.

"You are far more capable and courageous than you know. You are more determined to remain with this company than I could have imagined when we first met, and I know that you can do what you were sent here to do," here he paused as if deciding what to say.

"I also know that you are terrible at concealing the truth when you don't really want to. You didn't mean that you were here to save the company as a whole," he told me steadily.

He knew.

I couldn't respond so I just looked away. Not toward the fire, but in the direction or the rock that our backs had been resting against.

"Aria, I knew there was a chance of this before I left home. We all did. Not a single dwarf would be here if he weren't prepared to risk his life for our King and for our homeland. I do not fear death," he said.

It was the most typically heroic thing anyone had ever said to me, and I hated that he meant it. He would go to his death willingly if it meant saving his home, and he had.

"But I do fear death," I said, turning away from him to gaze once more into the fire.

"I've seen brave men of this world die. Men who aren't even born yet. I've seen elves who had done no wrong meet their fate before they have lived full lives. I've seen dwarves fall because you're just too stubborn to give up on what you know is right, and you won't flee from a hopeless fight," I said, taking in a deep breath.

"How will it happen?" Fili asked, his tone steady and level.

"It won't," I said, reaching for the book and vial that I had discarded.

"Not if I've got anything to do with it," I said, opening the book to the page on which I had left off.

"What are you doing?" Fili asked.

I wiped the last tear streaks from my face, sniffed one final time, and said "I'm going to do what I do best. I'm going to read."

And read I did. I told Fili to get some rest, for there would be no danger that night, and he fell asleep sitting upright, with his back against the stone.

I was reading Romeo and Juliet for maybe the hundredth time, but as I did so now, it struck me that no matter how many time I did so, I always held up hope that Juliet would wake up in time to save Romeo from suicide. When I read Romeo's last lines, I decided that I was quite fed up with the whole plan.

Knock Juliet out, make everyone think she was dead so they could bury her, and then she would wake when the time was right. Ridiculous!

"Hang on a moment," I said to myself, looking once more at the vial of small auburn leaves. If chewed, their effects would manifest quickly, if directly ingested, the effects would be slower.

But what effects?

"The sleep of Yavanna," I said aloud, covering my mouth when I saw Fili stir.

Life fell into a death-like slumber, only to be awakened by the coming of the sun.

Juliet. A girl who had been put into a death-like slumber and even been buried!

When eaten, the leaves would send their victim into a death-like sleep. Just like Juliet. Just like the plant life during the sleep of Yavanna. My next question was the length of the effects, but Fili had answered this question earlier. The effects would last until the rising of the next sun.

I turned the vial over in my hands. I was halfway there.

Now if I could only figure out why I would need these sleep-inducing leaves in the first place!

Nothing I could do about it that night. I packed the book away, and wrapped the vial carefully in an extra tunic, before settling into sleep.

I was gazing into the fire, dozing off, when I realized that my head had once more drifted down to Fili's shoulder.

I didn't want to move, and I didn't want to wake him, so I stayed put.

"Promise that I never have to watch you die again," I whispered a hopeless plea to the night air.

"I promise," said a voice near my ear.

 **I wonder just what Aulë gave Kili in the forge (besides the dagger)**

 **And why the heck can't Aria be more tactful...He knows!**


	26. Oh the Fickle Forest

**Note:** **Ella refers to her mother by the dwarvish word, and her father by the elvish...even though it's the other way round.**

 **Chapter 26**

Tauriel retired from the party early. She had no wish to become tipsy or intoxicated, for she had no great love for drinking, even though the fermented apple cider had been quite good. Besides, she had a patrol the next day before lunch and she wanted to be alert. Whatever the king wanted her to believe, she didn't think the signs of new webs in the forest should be taken lightly, and if there was to be an encounter with the foul beasts the next day, Tauriel certainly didn't want to be fighting a hangover.

She performed her nightly routine before blowing out her candle and opening the window. When she retired, she could see the stars and the moon from the open window. A bright light to guide her until daybreak.

She lay peacefully in bed, watching the stars shine above her. Feeling as if this was much better than any subterranean celebration that the King could order in the name or these beautiful pieces of memory.

It was in this manner that she drifted off to sleep.

 _As soon as Tauriel opened her eyes, she knew she was dreaming. For one thing, she wasn't in bed. She was, in fact, in a sunlit forest. She sat, back up against a great tree, and beheld a book in her hands, and the same little girl and boy that had been present before. They looked much the same, and couldn't have been more than a few months older than they had been in her previous dream._

" _You're both staring at me, why?" she asked._

" _You just stopped reading right at the good part," frowned the boy. She remembered Filip being his name._

" _Yes, and then you closed your eyes, and I was beginning to think you were asleep," said the little girl, Ella._

" _Why do grownups like naps so much?" Filip butted in._

" _It's cuz we annoy them so much, remember, that's what aunt Freya said," Ella told him as if this were common knowledge._

" _Is it?" Filip asked, turning back to Tauriel, who found this quite amusing, despite her displeasure at being dragged back into these dreams._

" _I couldn't say. Maybe you should ask your ammâ," Tauriel said, remembering the dwarrowdam with the mane of raven curls from her previous dream._

" _Ooh, let's go now," said Ella._

" _But the story. We didn't get to the part with the swords in it," Filip complained._

" _We can read it after," Ella pleaded._

" _Fine, beat you there," said Filip, standing up and running. A split second later, Ella shouted after him._

" _Hey, not fair! You got a head start," Ella called, tearing off after him, and catching up despite the aforementioned head start._

 _Tauriel closed the book and stood. She was unsettled by the fact that she couldn't push these dreams away. Unsettled by the fact that try as she might, she couldn't push the vision of little Ella's face out of her head. The child that Tauriel was becoming less and less determined never to call her own._

 _Tauriel decided to go looking for Ella and Filip, after all, it didn't do to leave small children alone in the woods._

 _It didn't take Tauriel long, walking through the autumnal forest, to find the two children. She stopped just beyond their line of sight, for they were not alone. They were seated on a bench, one on either side of two adults, one of whom Tauriel had met. Tauriel wasn't surprised to see Aria, the young dwarrowdam she had met in her previous dream, but she didn't know the other, a light haired dwarrow with not much facial hair apart from a braided mustache. She assumed him to be Aria's husband, by the way his arm was about her shoulder, and the uncanny resemblance he bore to Filip. The boy could have been a miniature of his father if it were not for the untamable curls that he had clearly inherited from his mother._

 _The couple were both laughing, Tauriel guessed that her (future) daughter had asked the nap question._

 _She heard Aria answer first. "Yes Ella, that's exactly why grownups like to nap so much."_

" _No, it's not. Aria!" chided Filip's father._

" _What? She knows I'm kidding, Fili," said Aria. Turning to smile at her husband._

" _Yes, I'm not a child, I know what you mean," said Ella._

" _You're quite right, six years old and all grown up," said Fili goodnaturedly._

" _Am I as grown up as my ammâ and adar?" Ella asked._

" _Not quite that grown up," said Fili._

" _No, but I'll pay you in extra dessert if you tell your adar that uncle Fili thinks you more mature than he is," said Aria._

" _Mature?" Ella asked._

" _It means grown up," said Filip who had been silent until then._

" _I'll do it...How do you know what it means?" Ella asked as if she was sure her friend was fibbing._

" _I read it somewhere," Filip said._

" _Really? I didn't know you could read," said Ella._

" _I can, and I liked aunt Tauriel's story until you had us go ask a stupid question like this," Filip announced._

" _Filip, it wasn't a stupid question, it was just hard to answer," said Aria._

" _I believe I can finish the story if you'd like," said Tauriel, stepping out into view._

" _Yes please aunt Tauriel, I wanna hear the fighting part," called Filip._

" _Yeah, me too!" Ella echoed._

 _Aunt? Why did Filip call her aunt? That didn't make sense._

" _Don't worry about it Tauriel, I'd much rather they got some energy out of them before dinner," said Fili, and Tauriel was surprised for a moment by his familiar address before remembering that though she didn't know him, he knew her in this dream._

 _Tauriel briefly wondered why her future self knew a dwarf couple._

 _Before she could wonder much longer, she saw Fili whisper something in his wife's ear._

 _Aria nodded and smiled, but whispered something back. She saw Fili nod, and then stand, clapping his hands together._

" _What have we here? Erebor's best runners from what I'm told, but that can't be right. You're both so small," he said._

" _No we're not," said Ella._

" _We are Erebor's best runners," said Filip._

" _Well that's a relief. Can you fight?" Fili asked, getting down on one knee to look the both of them in the eyes._

" _Yes!" Ella and Filip chorused._

" _Good, good. Well, in that case, I have a mission for the both of you," Fili told the young ones._

" _What is it?" They asked, Ella bouncing up and down._

" _I want you both to run to the stables, kidnap the prince, and bring him back here so we can interrogate him," Fili said._

" _Are we going to imprison him?" Ella asked, whispering in horror._

" _Until tomorrow at least," said Aria, standing to join her husband._

" _Good," said Filip._

" _Yes, and we'll probably give him prison rations too," said Ella._

" _Oh, if we're doing that, then I'd better cook," joked Aria._

" _No ammâ, feeding your cooking to a prisoner would be a cruel and unusual punishment," said Filip._

" _What does that mean?" asked Ella._

" _It means that if you and your cousin don't get going right now, I'm grounding him and you won't have anyone to play with for the next month," said Aria, crossing her arms._

 _There was but a moment's pause before both children fled the clearing._

" _Well that's one way to tire them out," said Tauriel, smiling._

" _Yes, and get your husband back here for dinner. I-" Aria began but stopped mid sentence. "Fili, what are you laughing at?" she exclaimed._

" _Cruel and unusual punishment," was all he could get out._

" _Oh, not you too," Aria said, placing her hands on her hips._

" _You raised him, darling," said Fili, sobering slightly, and standing up to face her._

" _Me? No, he gets that from you. Cruel and unusual punishment indeed," countered Aria._

" _In his defense, you did nearly poison us all once," said Fili._

" _You mean at Trollshaws?" asked Aria._

" _Yes," said Fili._

" _You know full well that only happened because I couldn't read," said Aria, frowning._

" _Oh yes of course," said Fili sarcastically._

" _I will ground you as well if you're not careful," said Aria, glaring at her husband._

" _I'd be missed at work," Fili said._

" _Oh, I think we both know I could handle your job," retorted Aria._

 _Fili changed the subject, drawing Tauriel back into the conversation. "Tauriel, you're quite lucky to share a position with your husband, I'm willing to bet the two of you never have talks like this," he said._

" _No indeed," Tauriel replied, looking off into the depths of the forest. The two children had been sent to fetch a prince from the stables. Tauriel only knew one of those, but she was now more sure than she had ever been. She was not, and would never be in love with Legolas, who was her friend and mentor, but not a romantic interest. The second thing that puzzled Tauriel was the fact that little Ella looked nothing like Legolas._

" _Earth to Tauriel! Are you alright? You seem distracted," said Aria._

" _What? Yes, I'm-" Tauriel was cut off by the distant sound of her name, and a rapping noise that she could not quite place._

" _Tauriel!"_

"Captain Tauriel!" came the call once again.

Tauriel's eyes flew open, and she climbed quickly from her bed, grabbing her dressing gown and one of her twin daggers.

She opened the door to her chambers a fraction of the way and was confronted by the face of one of the senior members of the King's guard.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Captain Tauriel...you've slept through most of the morning and now a lookout has spotted movement some ways into the forest. They believe that the spiders have returned, and the King requests that you leave to confront them within the hour," the guard reported.

"Confront?" Tauriel asked.

"His exact word was eradicate," the guard amended.

"And so we shall. Be ready to leave in half an hour," said Tauriel, an eir of command in her voice that had come naturally to her since childhood.

"As you wish, captain," said the guard, bowing his head.

"I must be rid of these dreams. They shall die in the forest with those spiders," Tauriel vowed as she shut the door and turned to ready herself for the fight ahead.

Oh how wrong she was.

I awoke the next morning, or what seemed like the next morning, to find my head still comfortably resting on Fili's shoulder. The only difference from the night before being that Fili's arm now lay over my own shoulders in a protective fashion. I couldn't help but think how right this felt, and how I wished that this were a reality. This happy alternative could never happen, for I knew that Fili couldn't be in love with me. My only goal for the future had to be the absence of three dead Durins from the tombs of Erebor.

No falling in love...Except that, for my part at least, it was too late.

I surveyed the tranquil scene around me. The rest of the company were still asleep, save for Kili, who was rustling through one of the packs.

In the dim light of the forest, I saw him raise an eyebrow at me. I just glared back at him.

"It isn't what it looks like," I whispered.

Kili laughed dryly. "Oh I think it's exactly what it looks like, and you're just deluding yourself," he said.

"I'm not delusional," I told him.

"I didn't say that you were," said Kili, who had taken some of Beorn's remaining provisions from the packs and had begun to eat.

"Then what did you mean?" I asked.

Kili stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "I mean that one of these days you two are going to wake up and realize just how ridiculous you're being," Kili said.

"You know full well why I won't say anything. Fili's the most kind, brave, and selfless person I know. I couldn't bring myself to hurt him," I said quietly, turning to look up at Fili's sleeping face.

"You know you should say that to him while he's awake, you might be surprised," Kili said, taking another bite of the bread he'd found in the packs.

I smiled sadly. "I couldn't."

"Did it ever occur to you that you're just scared? I mean from what you've said your parents were terrible, you used to get in ten fights a week, and you just found out that your grandparents were Valar. Are you frightened to lose a friend you thought was different from everyone at home?" Kili asked.

I paused for a moment, thinking over what he had said.

"You Durins are way more perceptive than you get the credit for. My grandmother was right, you really can read people...You're right. Of course you're right," I said.

Kili just nodded in return.

"We'd best get everyone else up. I'm starting to feel my senses clouded, and I want out of this blasted forest," he said after a moment's pause. He turned to walk to where Thorin rested at the camp's edge and I raised my head from Fili's shoulder.

I looked at him and frowned. Kili had been right down to the last word. I didn't want to lose Fili, for that would be worse than the pain of all the perils I had endured combined.

In an impulse, I leaned up slightly and kissed him on the cheek.

I lowered my head back to his shoulder and closed my eyes. In a few minutes, this would all be over and we'd be back on the road again.

I felt Fili moving and knew that I had awoken him. I nervously tucked my hair behind one ear, hoping fervently that he hadn't woken until my head was back on his shoulder. I didn't know what I was thinking, kissing him like that.

"Aria, wake up. I think we've got to go," he said.

"I'm awake," I said.

"Do you feel any better?" he asked quietly so that none of the other awakening dwarves could hear.

"What?" I asked before remembering how I'd broken down in tears the night before. "Oh, that, yes. I'm much better," I said, sitting up.

"I'm glad to hear it. Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Um, yes, but you don't have to get me anything," I said.

"I know," said Fili, removing his arm from my shoulders and standing. "But there's hardly any left and you're quite a bit smaller than most of us. You should have something to eat before it's all gone," he said.

"Is this another remark about my height?" I asked, a smile touching my lips.

"Not at all my lady, just a fact of life," Fili said good-naturedly, before turning towards the food packs, and leaving me to sit wondering why the heck he had just called me 'his lady'.

I sighed, remembering that it was probably a very common thing to call someone here. I stood, and began to cover the signs of the fire. Around me, the dwarves had all awoken and went about their various morning tasks with listless expressions on their faces. Bombur, I noticed, was up. I was glad to see this, for some of the more able-bodied dwarves had been forced to carry him for the second half of our first day in the forest after an ill encounter with the enchanted pool that Gandalf had warned us against.

I vividly remember the extended movie scene in which this happened and I trust that events unfolded in that manner, but my focus that day came in bursts. Coherency one moment, and only blurry disconnected memories the next. The visit to Earth had helped restore my wits to me and Kili's to him, but I could tell that Kili was slipping back into confusion, and I could feel myself doing the same.

"That's the last of the provisions," I heard Balin telling Thorin just as Fili came back with some of Beorn's traveling bread for me. As soon as he handed it over, I unceremoniously split the ration in half handing the other piece back to him.

He opened his mouth to protest but I wasn't having it.

"Nope. We're out of food and you're eating that," I said.

"But-" Fili began again.

"No. If we get attacked and I'm the only one who has enough energy to fight, then we are in deep trouble," I said.

"I won't argue with you on that," said Fili before biting into his bread.

"We're moving out," Ordered Thorin loudly.

I grabbed my backpack and fell into line next to Fili, the path only wide enough to walk two abreast.

We had just begun to move when I paused on the road.

"What is it?" Fili asked.

"I've forgotten my backpack...We've got to go and get it back," I said.

"Aria, you've already done that. It's on your back," Fili reminded me.

"Oh, that's right, isn't it," I said. I gulped in horror. I had been so sure I'd left it.

We walked along the old elven path for minutes, hours, days, weeks, months...No. Just hours.

The light had changed, and the gloom seemed directly overhead now. Was it noon? I couldn't think straight. I could barely breathe. I couldn't hear or see straight. The hallucinogenic qualities of this place were just too much for me. It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. To this day I cannot clearly remember what transpired throughout that morning. But, as noon was closing in on the company, I remember my coherency returning.

I was still walking alongside Fili, a fact which I had forgotten several times, nearly running into him or into Kili who walked in front of me and now seemed just as out of sorts as I did. I looked over to Fili and as we walked, and frowned when I noticed that he didn't seem flustered or confused in the slightest.

"How do you do that?" I asked quietly.

"You've got to be a bit more specific," he said.

"Stay focused," I said simply, shaking my head when I thought I saw three copies of Kili walking ahead of me.

"I pick one thing to think about and focus on that," Fili told me.

"What did you pick?" I asked.

"Until last night, I was worried about you and Kili," he said.

"And now?" I asked, feeling a mist slowly abdicating my mind.

"I'm just glad we've got you back. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something had happened to either of you," said Fili.

By now, my mind had seemed to center and clear itself fully by now, though I didn't know if this came from my desire to hear his answer or my focus on the conversation.

"I can see your obligation to Kili, he's your brother, but why me? Is it because I'm a lady?" I asked, thinking I'd answered my own question.

Fili took his time before answering.

"No, it's not because you're a lady. I mean, it is, but that isn't all," he said, and I though he tried to mask it, I could hear nerves in his voice.

"Then what is it?" I asked him. "You know you can tell me anything and I won't think any worse of you. You once said that very thing to me and it wouldn't be fair not to return the favor," I told him.

He took a deep breath and was silent for a moment. I began to worry if he was alright, for he seemed quite nervous. This was not only uncharacteristic of dwarves, but I'd never seen _Fili_ this nervous. Not even at Trollshaws or when the wargs had been chasing us.

"Aria, have you ever felt that your life was headed in one direction, and then it took a turn that you never expected in a million years?" he asked me.

"Does falling into Middle Earth count?" I answered his question with one of my own.

He went on. "And you found yourself saying, doing, and thinking things that you never thought you'd do?"

"Yes, but Fili, where are you going with this?" I asked.

"Aria, earlier this morning, before we left camp-" he began, but was cut off as both of us bumped into the dwarves in front.

"What's happening?" Oin asked.

"Keep moving. Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin demanded.

"The path...it's disappeared!" Nori said, confusion dripping from his voice.

"What's going on?" Dwalin asked.

"We've lost the path!" Oin answered.

"Aria, do you know where the path is?" Fili asked me urgently.

"I...I know where it is, but I couldn't find it now, even if I tried," I said. It was the truth, but I was flustered.

What had Fili wanted to tell me? I needed the current events to stop so I could think. Had he been awake and heard Kili and I talking?

"Find it! All of you, look for the path!" Thorin ordered.

The company began to fan out, looking around for a path that was but yards away, but for all they knew, could have been miles away.

The voices of mytravelingg companions bounced off the trees, echoing around the woods. I hadn't moved when Thorin had ordered it, but now I began to walk in the general direction that most of the company had taken.

"I don't remember this place before. None of it's familiar."

"It's got to be here."

"What hour is it?"

"I do not know. I don't even know what day it is."

"Is there no end to this accursed place?"

I recalled Thorin saying that last bit, but couldn't tell who had spoken by voice. I hated this place and I needed to get out of it. I was drowning, I could barely breath. I sat down on an old tree stump, running my hands through my hair, trying to think.

I did not know for how long I was in this state, but I remember being brought out out of it by Thorin's voice.

"Enough! Quiet! All of you! We're being watched." he yelled at us.

My head snapped up. I knew what was coming now and I didn't even want to think about it. I had my fare share of fears. Heights, large aquatic mammals (don't ask), and arachnids. When I say I have a fear of spiders, I mean that I'm dead scared of regular spiders. The small kind that make cleaning out dark spaces a nightmare. The thought of spiders big enough to ride made me queasy to say the least.

I stood, and hurried to where the dwarves had gathered.

"Is it orcs?" Kili asked in a hushed voice.

I shook my head.

"Then what?" Fili asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," I said, a lump in my throat.

They descended seemingly out of nowhere. Great spiders with bulbous bodies and spindly legs. Before anyone could react, the first six had reached our heads. Bombur, Thorin, Dwalin, Kili, Dori, and Oin fell first, the spiders stinging their prey and wrapping them quickly in sticky silk thread and dragging them away. The next spiders scuttling out from between the twisted trees. I counted three of them but the only one that concerned me was the great black many eyed creature headed straight for me.

I was rooted to the spot, my eyes wide, my heart beating out of my chest. I was going to die, I was sure of it. Then I saw Fili draw his sword and try to step in front of me. He wasn't supposed to fight. We had to be captured.

Then a thought struck me. If the spider didn't attack me, then it would attack him. Though I knew it to be inevitable, I refused to watch that happen!

With a burst of strength that I didn't know was in my possession, I shoved him hard, had only a moment to watch him fall to the ground before the beast was upon me. I fell backwards and turned to land on my stomach.

It was but a split second later when I felt a piercing pain in my back and cried out in anguish.

I felt my body going limp.

I whimpered in terror as I lost the utility of my limbs.

I was raised from the ground.

I felt the spider's sticky web begin to envelop me.

I wanted to scream again but had neither the strength nor the power of speech to do so.

I heard my name being called in urgency, but I couldn't think whose voice it was.

The voice stopped abruptly.

Blackness, darkness, unconsciousness. They were all I knew.

Haha Tauriel, you think you're going to be able to forget you're dreams by battling the spiders. It isn't a bad idea, but I can see it backfiring.

Was Fili was awake? Did he hear Aria and Kili's conversation?

What do you think Fili was trying to say to Aria before they lost the path?

P.S: Sorry about the cliffie ;)


	27. From Webs to Dungeons

**I know, it's been a while. I had to study like crazy for final exams, take the exams, and then leave town for Christmas...But, now that I'm back, I can start posting chapters again. **

**Just to refresh your memories, Everyone has been captured by spiders, and they're going to be in great moods when awakened.(Beware of sarcasm).**

 **Chapter 27**

Could this be what death was like? I wondered as my mind swam in that peculiar area somewhere between reality and dream. If death could be like this, then it wasn't so bad. Not really. This state was not unpleasant or uncomfortable. In fact, I much preferred it to the sheer pain I had been in only moments before my capture. But this couldn't be death, for in death, things became clear.

Death was not hazy, nor was it undefined. The place beyond it was sharp, lucid, and bright. Or so I was told.

As I swayed there, suspended in space and in my own mind, I thought of how odd it was that for a dying person all became crystal, but for their loved ones, they seemed to become a blur. The life fleeing their eyes, leaving them dull and expressionless.

Nevermore to see. Nevermore to laugh. Nevermore to love.

I lost what little grip on coherency I had.

Blackness, darkness, unconsciousness. They were all I knew.

Then slowly, a swaying, a falling, a thumping, the awareness of firm ground beneath me.

I blinked blearily, gradually dragging my eyelids open as if a great weight lay upon them, endeavoring to shut out the world.

Alas, when I won the battle and could see again, I found nothing but a gray haze before me.

What had happened? I wondered, as consciousness returned to me.

Memory came slowly but steadily, and I remembered the moments before I had been taken.

I must still have been cocooned in the web that had been woven around me. I registered the cloying scent of the sticky webs that I was encased in, and felt nauseous. I had to get out of this prison, but was still in such a state of shock that I didn't remember how to get myself out.

I heard movements through my webs, and tried to move my head in the direction of the noise, but failed miserably. It was many moments later that I realized my lack of dwarvish strength and resistance to poison and disease must be slowing my recovery.

I let my eyelids fall shut again, the burden to keep them open proving to be too great.

I lay there for what must have been only seconds before light entered my grey haze and I felt fresh air on my face. The webs were pulled away from my face. I tried to blink in the light, but my eyes would not open.

I wanted to be left alone...to go back to sleep...but someone was refusing to let me do so.

A voice above me.

The same one that had shouted my name before I'd blacked out.

I wanted it to go away and just leave me alone. I felt myself being shaken now and I didn't like that much either but I was just too tired to tell whoever it was to stop.

I felt my head lifted off the ground and the sensation of the cobwebs being pushed gently out of my face, and decided that I didn't mind that at all.

I became blearily concerned when I heard the voice that had spoken earlier speaking again, and this time, I could make out the words.

"Aria, wake up...Kili, she isn't moving, what should I do?"

But the voice sounded so worried that, even though I couldn't identify the speaker, I knew I had to show some sign of life.

I surrendered the calm serenity of sleep and dragged my eyes open and myself back into the depths of mirkwood.

I blinked. Once, twice, thrice, before noticing that there were two people staring down at me.

I frowned at them, unable to think of a response in my barely conscious state.

"That's a relief," said Kili from above me. "Fili, I'm going to find Thorin: see if we can assess the damage," he added, before standing and hurrying away.

"Do you think you can stand?" Fili asked, and I nodded, my brow creased in worry. Fili's face was unreadable. Unreadable, save for a glint in his eye that I had seen only once before, but that I knew well enough to tell me that he was displeased. He helped me to my feet after I'd managed to brush away most of the cobwebs, and I held on tight to steady myself. When I was righted and had regained my balance, I ventured a question.

"What troubles you?" I asked hesitantly, unsure what reception this question would have.

"What troubles me?" Fili repeated, in a tone that told me as much as his eyes had.

I nodded.

"What troubles me, at the moment, is you. Why in Mahal's name possessed you to shove me out of the beast's way like that!" he demanded.

My reply was quiet and stunted. There was no denying the fact that Fili was more angry than I had ever seen him."I didn't want it to-"

"No, I don't want to know. Aria, I thought that was it. I thought that spider was meant to kill me, and that you'd just stepped in front of it to save my life," he glared at me.

"What? No! Those spiders aren't at all what's going to...I mean...we're not even close yet!" I countered.

"Well, you could have told me that. I thought I was watching you being murdered," Fili said in a tone that was both hard and cold.

In that moment, I was more angry at his tone than at his accusations. How could someone be so angry, yet not raise their voice?

"Honestly, do you ever just lose your temper and yell at someone? Or are you always this passive," I lashed out impertinently.

"Trust me Aria, any control over my temper is well lost at the moment," he hissed at me.

"I can't see why," I glared at him, demanding an answer.

"I thought you were dead!" he said, voice raised at last.

Just then, I heard a rustling in the treetops, and from above us, beasts on spindly legs and bulbous torsos seemed to fall out of the canopy on threads of sticky web.

"You want to be told things? Fine. The spiders are back," I said flippantly.

"No kidding," Fili said, giving a mirthless laugh.

Then we were on the move again, the whole company running through the woods, though to what end, I did not know. We were still regaining our footing as we hurried away from the remains of our sticky prisons, so there was much tripping and bumping into one another until, at last, we found ourselves in a clearing.

We came to a standstill as the spiders descended among us. Dwalin and Thorin were the first to despatch the creatures. Their weapons were drawn, and their coherency had returned. The foul beasts didn't stand a chance.

One spider thought he'd got the better of Bombur, falling on top of him and snapping its pincers mere inches away from the poor cook's face, but several members of the company were quick to grab a leg each, ridding the creature of its limbs with a squelching noise and a popping sound that released a rotten stench into the air. I wrinkled my nose in distaste, but hadn't much time to react to this development, for at that moment, the next wave of spiders hit us.

I knew very well that I would only get in the way of my companions, and that the best thing to do was to move. I dodged my way around the landing spiders and the battling dwarves, spotting a tree with branches enough for me to climb. I reached it without interference, and began to climb. Arm over arm, I ascended the tree, but before I was eight feet of the ground, I stopped. I looked up into the foliage above my head, and gulped. I couldn't go any higher.

I didn't like being up of the ground at all, so seven feet was my limit in this tree. I drew my dagger, and perched on the branch I'd been holding on to. From that vantage point, I was safe but not distant.

That was perfect.

That was safety.

That was Ori beneath me, caught in a similar position to that which Bombur had been in only moments earlier!

A spider had quickly overcome him, forcing him to the ground beneath its great mass. He struggled against it, holding its pincers at bay with his slingshot. Even I could see that method failing before long.

I had to do something, but I was defenseless. I gripped the tree tightly with one hand and my dagger with the other. My dagger!

I looked down at it the moment I realized I could use it to help Ori. I had to think quickly. I had two options. I could throw the dagger, or I could use direct contact. I quickly ruled out throwing because I couldn't aim straight on a good day, let alone in the middle of an attack in a cursed forest. I had one choice left, and before I had fully thought it through, I shoved myself off of my branch, and fell to the spider's back, where I drove my dagger into the gap between its armoured head and neck. It let out a squawking noise and began to contort itself, seizing up around Ori, and rolling sideways.

I felt myself pitched off its body, and falling to the ground. I called out in alarm, thinking I would be run over, before the corpse rolled in the opposite direction. Ori broke free from the thing's death grip, and I saw him get to his feet. I sat up, head spinning, and almost didn't notice the hand he offered me. I blearily took it, offering my thanks as he helped me to my feet.

"No, thank _you,_ thought I was a goner there," he said.

"Speaking of which," I said, my eyes fixed on a point behind him. Yet another spider was hurtling towards us. Before it could reach us, Oin and Nori came, seemingly out of nowhere, and set about it with their weapons. Before I could fully take in what had just happened, Ori had run to their aid.

I stood there surveying the scene before me, counting heads to make sure nobody was missing.

Thorin was but feet away from me.

There were Oin and Gloin.

Bifur, Bofur and Bombur.

Dori, Ori, and Nori.

Dwalin and Balin.

Fili and-.

"Thorin!" I called, getting his attention the quickest way I knew how. "Where's Kili?" I asked.

Thorin's quick eyes darted from dwarf to dwarf, coming to the same conclusion that I had. His youngest nephew was nowhere in sight.

The spiders were temporarily held at bay, and just like that, we were on the move again.

"Keep up!" I heard Dwalin shout from some way ahead. He, Dori, and Thorin had quickly outpaced the rest of us, and as we ran to catch them, I heard Thorin yell Kili's name into the answerless woods.

Instead of his nephew's reappearance, Thorin was greeted by yet another spider falling from the trees. This I remembered vividly, for I knew who would accompany that spider. I stopped at the edge of the clearing letting Bombur and Ori pass me. They were the last of the company to head into the clearing, but I chose not to follow, hiding behind a tree where I had a safe vantage point. I crouched in the bushes so as not to be seen by the elves that I knew to be approaching the company.

Only Fili and Balin saw me as I ducked out of sight, making eye contact for the briefest of moments.

It was then that I saw him.

He descended effortlessly through the trees, swinging down a strand of web, crushing its owner, and sliding through the underbrush, gutting another spider in the process. He came to a standstill, drawing his bow and notching an arrow in one fluid motion.

Thorin raised his sword in defense, but at that moment, we heard the stretching of bowstring upon bowstring. As if out of nowhere, elves garbed in the uniform of the King's guard came swinging through the branches and running on noiseless feet towards the clearing, surrounding my companions. The company of Thorin Oakenshield was at the mercy of the woodland realm.

"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf, it would be my pleasure," spoke Legolas, prince of Mirkwood, personal childhood hero, and the most dangerous being in the clearing.

I could see Thorin itching to respond, but he was halted by the advance of several more elves.

Just then, I heard a cry of distress from the woods surrounding us. We all recognized the voice, but it was Fili who called out for his brother, a look of worry etched across his face. He knew there was nothing he could do but listen helplessly as his brother struggled without him.

I hastily unbelted my dagger, sticking it in my pack, and leaving both in the underbrush, made my way off into the woods.

As I retreated, I heard Legolas's voice. "We're just waiting on one more."

I didn't know whether he spoke of dwarves or elves...I was certainly expecting one more of each.

As to the impulse that lead me away from the company, it was simple. I couldn't bear the thought of Fili being in so much distress over Kili, and even though I rationally knew there was nothing I could do, I still wanted to help. I moved quickly and silently in the direction from which I'd heard Kili's voice. It wasn't far off that I found him, wrestling yet another foul spider. His boot was caught in its mouth as it attempted to drag him back to the remnants of its nest, and try as the young prince might, he could not shake the beast. I had just irrationally decided to throw the closest rock in an effort to distract the spider, when providence arrived in Kili's favor.

Or more specifically, Tauriel.

* * *

Several minutes earlier, the King's guard had reached the abandoned and destroyed nest.

"What happened here?" Tauriel asked Legolas as her patrol spread out to search the ruins.

"Who can say. I know but one thing for certain. This was not the doing of any forest beast," Legolas responded.

"Orcs?" Tauriel asked, doubtfully.

"No, we're too deep in the forest to find any of those worthless creatures. I suspect a different party responsible," the prince mused.

"Oh?" Tauriel queried, her sharp eyes darting about the the web infested trees.

Beside her, Legolas stooped to the ground, retrieving a flask wrapped in leather.

This discovery brought Tauriel's attention back to Legolas.

"Dwarves," he said decisively, an air of condescension pervading his features.

"You're right, and they're not far off," Tauriel asserted. "I can hear them now, though the trees," she said.

"Call your patrol back. Whatever manner of creature they are, they're within our borders. Trespassers upon my father's land must not go unchallenged," Legolas said.

"Tolo sí!" Tauriel called, bidding her patrol to return to her.

"I will go ahead. Follow at the rear. I would have our best fighter watching our backs as we go forward," Legolas said, touching Tauriel's arm lightly.

When he turned to lead her patrol into the trees, Tauriel blanched. She had no desire to accept Legolas's complements, but no polite way to rebuff them. Oh, if only these dwarves hadn't killed every last spider. At that moment, she wished for nothing more than to sink her twin daggers into something.

She didn't have long to wait before this wish was gratified.

Tauriel's eyes were quick to catch the rustling in the treetops, and it took no more than a couple of quick, lithe, and precise movements before Tauriel was in the canopy along with her prey.

The spider was quick work, childsplay really, and it soon regretted the decision to cross Tauriel's path. It didn't take her long to notice a trail of the foul creatures making an escape through the trees just east of the direction Legolas had taken her patrol.

"I don't think so," Tauriel whispered, before gracefully leaping from tree to tree after them.

Three spiders fell to her bow, but the remaining two turned groundwards. Ahead of her, Tauriel heard someone yelling in distress. There were more spiders on the ground. This fight wasn't over yet.

Tauriel made a lightning decision, running along a branch, and jumping onto the back of the rear spider. She shot the beast beside of it, cursing her aim, for the blow was not fatal. Her spider crashed into the ground head first, and she rolled off its back, unsheathing her dagger as she did, and plunging it headfirst into the skull of the spider she had previously failed to kill. She turned to the beast she'd ridden onto the ground, noting that it had recovered enough to attack, and slit its throat with her dagger. She turned to survey the clearing, not even bothering to look as she drove her dagger into the spider's head for a killing shot.

In the moment that Tauriel took in her surroundings, she saw that the source of the shout was a dwarf, that on her brief inspection, matched no description of those people that Tauriel could recall. She wasted no time on this fact, however, and proceeded to shoot the first of the two remaining spiders.

The dwarf looked at her in shock, and for the briefest moment, Tauriel could do nothing but stare back. No, he most definitely did not match her expectations of a dwarf. The snapping of a pair of pincers from behind alerted her to the presence of another deplorable creature. She turned and slashed it across the face, once, twice, but it would not die.

"Throw me a dagger! Quick!" yelled the dwarf from behind her, indicating that yet another spider must be entering the clearing.

No. There was a way to kill both, if she could just maneuver her bow under this one's pincers, and she certainly wasn't arming an adversary, especially a dwarf.

Her bow in position, she spoke.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!"

With those last words, she cut her dagger down the spider's now exposed neck, and flung the knife through the air, where it buried itself between the eyes of the last living beast. All this, she accomplished in one swift movement.

The dwarf before her stared, practically stunned at the manner in which she had defeated the spiders, and this brought the hint of a satisfied smile to Tauriel's lips. Tauriel got her first good look at the would-be prisoner, and what she saw surprised her. The dwarf was not old and gnarled, nor was he as short as she thought dwarves should be. The third, and most baffling, difference Tauriel noticed, was his lack of a bushy beard.

"Your companions are in our custody. Surrender and come quietly," Tauriel said, her voice radiating pride over her fighting prowess.

At this, the dwarf turned and pulled Tauriel's dagger from the dead spider behind him, and held it at a ready stance.

"I'm not really the quiet type," he said jauntily. Was he really this foolhardy? Had he not seen what she had done to those spiders. Tauriel felt a sudden urge to laugh at him, though not out of contempt.

All thoughts of laughter were driven from Tauriel's mind when a figure stepped out from behind the nearest tree and spoke in a voice Tauriel thought she would only ever hear in dreams.

"Kili, they've got us...there's no point in resisting," said Aria.

* * *

That's what I said, and when I spoke, I felt myself blush as both Tauriel and Kili's eyes came to rest on me. I'd seen Tauriel's merciless and graceful take down of the spiders attacking Kili, but once I'd seen he wasn't "coming quietly", I'd thought it best to inform him of the current situation. I had done so with little to no tact, and a great deal of embarrassment to myself.

"Why is it always elves?" Kili asked, handing Tauriel's knife back to its owner, handle first.

"It was spiders last time, goblins before that, and trolls first. It's never been elves," I said, nearly laughing.

"You forget our little stay in Rivendell," Kili joked.

"I was preoccupied at the time," I mumbled.

Tauriel looked mildly confused, and moderately shocked at my appearance.

"We will come quietly," I said to her, for I had no wish to be separated from the company again.

I thought that nothing in Middle Earth could truly surprise me after seeing the films and living through one and a half of them, but what Tauriel said next did just that.

"Aria, isn't it?" she asked in a reserved tone that I had come to expect only from her people.

"Wait, how...how do you know that?" I asked, barely able to keep my jaw from dropping.

"I...heard one of the other dwarves using it. Now, both of you, towards the clearing. The king does not take kindly to strange travelers on his land," said Tauriel.

I didn't think she'd met any of the other dwarves, and Kili certainly hadn't told her.

Before I could ask her how on earth she knew my name, Tauriel gestured with her bow for Kili and I to leave the clearing.

"We're not on anybody's land," protested Kili, as we walked back towards the others.

"That may be so, but forget not, master dwarf, who built the road that you and your companions traveled," said Tauriel, raising an eyebrow.

I looked over at Kili, expecting him to harrumph or shoot back a witty comment, but he did nothing of the sort. He merely walked on in silence. I looked at the ground and bit my lip to stop from smiling.

Tauriel escorted us to the clearing where the rest of our company was being searched for weapons. We were led to the back of the line, where Legolas met us. The elvish prince gave us a long look over before speaking.

"Two more. Well done Tauriel," he said, before continuing to speak to her in Sindarin.

" _If I didn't know better, I'd say the smaller one was a hobbit,"_ he said, a look of amusement on his face.

I was outraged! A hobbit? Me?

" _Bado mîbo orch!"_ I said, scowling at him. It was the only Sindarin insult I knew, but it sufficed.

"Put this one at the back of the line," Legolas said, in Westron this time.

On second thought, maybe insulting him wasn't as good an idea as I first thought.

"My Lord, if I may ask why," Tauriel ventured.

"Their kind doesn't often travel with their women folk, especially through terrain like this. Secondly, I think my father would like to know how she acquired our language," Legolas told Tauriel.

As she led us towards the back of the line, Kili gave me a worried look. I shook my head, trying to convey to him that the situation was not as dire as it seemed.

"We will recapture you if you try to escape," Tauriel said quietly, before returning to report to Legolas.

I turned to Kili, noting that he was still staring in Tauriel's direction.

"What?" I asked.

"I thought they were supposed to search us," he said, and I nearly laughed out loud.

"Kili, if you wanted the pretty elf captain to search you for weapons, you shouldn't have gone and asked her for a dagger," I said, grinning.

"You're probably ri- hang on, I never said I thought she was pretty," Kili replied quickly.

"Okay," I said dismissively.

Now I knew how Kili felt, being able to hold the "princess" card over my head. I would have thought the entire thing incredibly funny if I hadn't know how it was fated to end.

"By the way, what did you say to make the blonde angry?" Kili asked me lightly.

"I told him to go kiss an orc...only good insult I knew in that language," I told him.

"Right, and what did he say in the first place?" Kili asked.

"That I resembled a hobbit," I said.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" was Kili's cheeky response.

"Yeah...hey!" I said, realizing what he'd just insinuated.

"Enwenno hain!" Legolas called from the front of the line, and Kili and I were jostled into motion by the guards behind us.

"Oh no, I missed the Gimli reference," I said in an undertone, as the line began to move forwards.

"The what? How do you know Gimli?" Kili whispered as we left the clearing.

"Are you really asking _me_ that question?" I whispered back.

"I see your point," Kili acknowledged, for he knew I didn't let on half my knowledge of their world, or for that matter, the people in it.

"He's related to you, isn't he?" I asked, still wishing I'd been able to hear Legolas inquire after Gloin's family, and in the process, call his future best friend a goblin mutant.

Kili nodded. "He's my third cousin."

"How old is he?" I asked, wanting to know what age Gloin's so called wee lad was at that moment.

"Sixty two, I think. Fili and I wanted him along for this journey, but Gloin is very much the over protective father," Kili said.

"How old is your sister?" I asked, not wanting to walk in silence.

"That is a very good question, and I should probably know the answer. She's a few years older than Gimli... Ask Fili if you really want to know," Kili said, looking out into the woods around us as he did.

"I would, but I have two problems. One, he's all the way up there, and two, he's quite displeased with me at the moment," I said, my voice hardening slightly.

"Stop being so bloody dramatic. He thought you were dead...again," Kili said lightly.

"Honestly, you're having way too much fun with this. Also, that's no reason for him to yell at me," I said.

"Fili doesn't yell," Kili replied, and to this, I had no reply. He was absolutely right, and I was far too dramatic sometimes.

We walked in silence to the edge of the forest, where I heard Kili gasp.

"How on earth are we supposed to escape from there, it must be impregnable," he said, aghast as he beheld the gates of the woodland realm.

"Not quite. They're not very good at hiding their keys, or their levers for that matter. You know, they keep the one that opens and closes their water gate in plain sight," I told him confidentially.

"I don't know how that's supposed to help us," Kili said as we set foot on the bridge that led to the king's domain.

"Whether it does or not, things are about to change in more ways than one," I said as the great doors opened ahead.

 **So, Kili's acting odd, don't you think? I wonder why that is, lol.**

 **Aria's got an appointment with Thranduil...I don't think that's going to be pretty.**

 **Any thoughts on the chapter?**


	28. Sparring matches and family matters

**Notice: We are taking a one chapter detour. This had to come before the battle of the five armies, so there you have it. I'll just let Aria explain it to you in full.**

 **Chapter 28**

Months before we were captured by the elves of Mirkwood, a scene in the Blue Mountains would unfold over the course of an evening. This event would be fated to change the outcome of a battle that wouldn't occur for some time, as well as the fates of all involved. I still don't fully understand what pushed those two young dwarves to do what they did, even after much time spent talking to each of them. So, I have decided to share the events of that night with you, the readers of this tale, in the hope that you can make more out of it than I could at first. Whether or not any good came of their decision, I leave for you to decide, and keep as my secret for the time being. Just know that I dedicated this chapter to their part of the story, so that when the time comes for me to describe what befell myself and the rest of Thorin Oakenshield's company during the great battle to come, you may understand it better.

Ever yours: **Aria E. Valarindi**

* * *

The practice ring was the centerpiece of an arena hewn into the mountainside. From the eye of a raven, it could be seen clearly from above, sloping inward like a smooth crater, a bowl set in the stone. Open air grandstands stood in a semicircle of rows facing the mountain, inclining downwards to give their occupants a good view of the ring. The arena was often the venue for competitions and exhibitions of trade, but the grandstands were empty now, and signs that the arena was dedicated to the training and formation of warriors was in evidence all around the space.

Practice blades, axes, bows, throwing knives, and spears lined the walls not occupied by grandstands in great array. Wetting stones could be seen piled at odd intervals along the sidelines, ready for use lest the need for a sharpened sword arose.

The practice ring was even outfitted with its own forge, for most of the dwarves who put the ring to use could mend their own weapons, and those who did not would have no trouble finding a willing substitute for the task. Yet the most obvious sign that this place was meant to prepare an army for war took the form of the fifty or so individual sparring matches that were all going on simultaneously within its boundaries.

The ring was a clatter with the sounds of battle. Swords crossed, ax met shield, and even the twanging of bow strings could be heard amidst the din. Sparring matches were taken seriously, and even in this time of relative peace, fighting prowess was to be maintained and honed. Of course, the defeats were washed away with a good bath and a pint of ale, forgotten by the sunset, but nevertheless, sparring was a serious matter, and no dwarrow or dam ever conceded a match.

To the unpracticed eye, the ring might look like the venue of a skirmish, but the only eyes nearby belonging to non-fighters were practiced, to say the least.

Instructors strolled throughout the fighting pairs with the ease of someone out for a spring walk. If a mistake was made, the battle-hardened instructor would stop the match in question and correct their technique before moving on. This was commonplace and true for everyone throughout the ring, save one instance.

Near the edge of the ring, an instructor stood unmoving, studying one pair in particular.

The two dwarves wielded battle axes, and the larger one carried a shield. Both were in full battle armor, and helms that covered all but their eyes. They took swing after swing at each other, the smaller one dodging each blow, and the larger blocking each of his opponent's swings with his shield.

The instructor crossed his arms in concentration, his brow furrowing in focus. He needed to let them go a while longer. The fight wasn't likely to turn in favor of either dwarf, but they both needed a good test of patience. Both competitors were young and lacked both patience and restraint.

The instructor was far from old, a dwarrow still at the height of his prime, and he looked it. He wore his golden hair simply, just past his shoulders with a braid at each temple, his beard neatly combed and only braided where it met his mustache. He dressed just as simply in boots, dark trousers, and a russet brown tunic. Despite the cold mountain air, he wore no coat, going so far as to roll up his sleeves to his elbows, so as to have better use of his arms. Scars left behind by mining tool and blade alike were visible on his forearms, and they were never more evident than now, crossed over his chest in displeasure at the match before him.

The two combatants were moving more and more slowly as time passed and the ring slowly emptied as more and more dwarves left for their homes and dinners. This didn't deter the instructor.

A little while longer.

The three dwarves knew that the match would not be over until somebody was disarmed, hit, or until they were ordered to stop. The sun had begun its descent from the sky by the time one of these three things happened.

In truth, all three occurred in nearly the same instant.

The smaller dwarf swung his battle ax, which stuck firmly into his opponent's shield. Within the twinkling of an eye the apparently disarmed dwarf spun round to its opponent's back, whipped a dagger out of nowhere, and held it to the gap in his opponent's armor between the helm and breastplate.

This was the moment that the silence between the three was broken.

"Stop," said a measured yet firm voice.

Both combatants froze where they stood.

"How was it?" asked the larger of the two.

"Three hours long, that's how it was," said their instructor, humor hinting in his voice and in the last rays of sunlight glinting off his warm brown eyes.

"Who won?" asked the smaller.

"Neither of you. Clever trick with the dagger darling, but if that had been a real opponent, you wouldn't have gotten half so far as you did. Also, nobody wins if I have to watch two adolescent dwarves poke at each other with weapons for three hours straight," the instructor said with an air of finality in his voice, before uncrossing his arms, and striding right past the two armored dwarves.

"Wait. Where are you going? I thought winner got to fight you," said the smaller, voice echoing off the inside of the silver helmet each dwarf wore.

"No winner means early dinner for me, and longer life for the both of you. Come on, we'd better get your gear back to the armory," he said, gesturing to the head-to-toe silver regalia of his two proteges.

He turned once more, and this time his pupils followed close behind, coming to walk one on either side of him.

"You know I could have won that fight if you hadn't forced me to wear this bleeding armor," complained the smaller dwarf.

"Aye, and it's always too hot or too cold. Quite unhelpful if you ask me," said the larger.

"Tell that to every dwarf, man, and elf that's only alive today because of a good suit of armor. You're already learning how to fight in it, so why stop now? Besides, you're both getting better by the day, and to be frank, one of you could use the strength training," the older dwarf told them.

"I'm strong enough as is, thank you very much," the smaller dwarf said as if that closed the matter.

"Strong you may be, but remember your limitations. The foolhardy are always the first to fall in battle," the instructor advised as the three exited the arena and began the short walk to its resident armory.

The only light now came from torches and lamps burning bright upon the walls, and it was by this glow that they came upon the sturdy armory door. The door swung open without protest and the three dwarves headed inside.

The first thing to go were the helmets. When they were removed, the two dwarves breathed in the fresh air, feeling the breeze on their sweaty faces for the first time in hours.

The larger of the two had bushy hair in a shade of red that bordered on brown. His beard only extended to his collar, but it was clear that when he aged, it would indeed be fine. The smaller of the two, if anything, was the exact opposite.

This dwarf's only facial hair were slender braids along the back tips of the jawline and in thick lashes and pronounced brows. The hair that fell from this dwarf's helm was long and honey blond, silky even after being confined for so long. Quite simply, this dwarf was, in fact, a maiden.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" she asked her instructor, tossing the helm into the air and catching it deftly as she did.

"As I said, being a maiden puts you at a natural disadvantage in battle, and you could use the strength training. While you still wish to learn the skill of warfare, you will wear full armor. That's my final decision," her instructor said, calmly.

"May I at least remove the visor, it's blocking my vision," complained the maiden.

"No, especially not the visor. You'd be made an instant target, pegged as an easy kill," he said. This time there was no reply.

The two adolescent dwarves removed everything from their gloves to breastplates, leaving them dressed in their own sweaty tunics and trousers.

"You two look a sight, go on to the house and get cleaned up. Everyone will be there for dinner anyway. I'll be along in a moment," their instructor told them.

The two younger dwarves nodded and left the room. The instructor shook his head at their retreating backs. She was just too young. The other, her third cousin by blood, was younger than she, but strong as an ox. He could have handled battle had his father not been so overprotective, but the maiden?

If only she did not take these things to heart so.

She was probably venting her anger at him at that moment...she would learn when she was older.

* * *

"I can't believe this," that very maiden was now complaining as the two younger dwarves trudged up a gravel road, away from the arena and towards the upper village where their respective dwellings could be found.

"He's only trying to keep you safe cousin," her companion said evenly. He was quite sensible for his age but this may just have been a side effect of his strict (and slightly overprotected) upbringing.

"Well, it doesn't feel like that from my end. I can't believe he would make me try to fight in that! And besides, isn't hiding behind a suit of armor cowardice?" she asked, looking for support.

"Only if the suit of armor in question's got another dwarf in it," was his unhelpful answer.

The maiden glared at her companion and kicked the gravel ahead of her in angst.

Though the look cast by her chocolate brown eyes went unnoticed in the dusk, her companion knew her moods well enough, for the two had been fast friends since childhood. They passed the first lighted houses in silence, then the market, the shops, and the stables. Their houses were among those overlooking the rest of the mountainside town.

As the two passed through the higher settlement, heading towards the houses closest to the town hall, the maiden focused her gaze firmly on the ground.

She didn't like walking through this place at night, for here, the lights in many of the sturdy houses were extinguished and had been so for the last month. She didn't talk about where their occupants had gone, and the maiden tried not to think about it.

At last, the two were bathed in the light from the windows of the house to which they walked, and without knocking, both entered.

They were greeted by a cozy fire lit walkway and the smell of something savory cooking on the stove.

"Oh good, you're here! I could use some help with the venison," said a cheerful dwarrowdam from the kitchen doorway. She was the definition of a handsome dam, with thick locks of light brown hair (the proper amount of facial hair) and the same hazel eyes as the maiden's cousin. She was, in fact, his mother.

"That smells perfect. What can we do to help?" the young dwarrow asked his mother.

His cousin offered none of her help, still sulking over her instructor's firm words, but it wouldn't have mattered if she'd offered all the help in Ered Luin, for at that moment, another dam intervened.

"No Denola, you know my rule. If I can smell them from the next room, they can't come near the food," came a call from the other room.

"But ammâd, we've been sparring for the past three hours," the maiden called back.

At this, another dam, the maiden's mother, appeared next to Denola in the doorway.

She, unlike her friend, shared her daughter's small stature and almost complete lack of facial hair. She tilted her head almost quizzically.

"Multiple matches, or only one?" she asked.

"Only one," the maiden said.

"Well, then you should have bested your cousin more quickly, shouldn't you?" she asked, a faint smile playing about her lips, and a glint in her bright blue eyes.

"What? Ammâd!" Her daughter sputtered.

"It's the truth. You would've had a warm bath too, but now you'll have to make do with a washcloth and some cold water. Be right back here to help with dinner in ten minutes," her mother said, before turning and walking right back into the kitchen.

"Aunt Denola-" the maiden began but was cut off.

"And as for you, young sir, unable to defeat a lady for three hours...at your age too," Denola chastised her son, who consequently frowned.

"We were both made to wear huge suits of armor. Neither of us could lift an ax properly," he said defensively.

"Mhm, that's a shame. Is that something we need to tell your addâd about?" Denola asked.

"You won't need to. I'll be a proficient by the time he get's back," the young dwarrow assured his mother.

At this last statement, the maiden shook her head and left the entryway quickly. Mother and son heard the door to her room close decidedly.

"Give her a moment," Denola said. "Get washed up."

The young dwarrow shook his head. His cousin hated any mention of her uncle, or of any of the others.

* * *

The kitchen was bustling, when the door to the house opened again, many minutes later. The room was relatively small, and with four dwarves within it, all trying to accomplish their various tasks, it was crowded.

The addition of a fifth dwarf to the room did nothing to aid in this, but the mood did lighten considerably.

The maiden still seemed put out by her cousin and aunt's off hand remarks concerning her uncle, but she busied herself readily around the kitchen, washing some of the dishes that were no longer in use.

"Evening. Sorry I'm late, I stopped at the stables on way back from the arena," the young ones' instructor said.

"You two starting to get sore yet?" he asked, clapping the lad on the back and ruffling the lass's hair.

She turned from the sink to stare at him coldly.

"Don't look at me like that, you'll thank me one day," he said tenderly.

"For being slow?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

"For being alive, Mahal willing," he said, and her face softened slightly, but she made no response, and merely turned back to her dishes.

Her cousin and aunt had moved to the dining room with the intention of setting the table, but her mother leaned against the opposite counter, watching intently.

A voice stopped the older dwarrow before he could cross the room to greet her.

"Addâd?"

"Yes?" he asked, turning to face his daughter, who had now finished the dishes.

"Is it possible for me to get used the the armor?" the maiden asked.

"You've been a little fighter since the day you were born. A better question might be if it's possible you won't get used to it," he said.

"I think it's a definite possibility," she said tiredly as she turned to grab a dishcloth.

The older dwarrow turned and crossed to the counter, standing beside his wife. He whispered something in her ear, his tone to low to be heard by anyone else.

"Any more stubborn, and that child becomes you in miniature." he said.

"What do you mean? I am not stubborn," the dam replied in a more audible tone.

"Alright, if you say so," the dwarrow replied, leaning in, to place a light kiss on her cheek.

"I am not stubborn," she repeated.

"And I've just agreed with you," the dwarrow replied.

"No, you just-" she started, but he raised his eyebrows.

She turned back to the counter, took a plate of roles, and practically shoved them at him.

"Set the table, Findrir," she said.

"Yes your highness, anything else?" he asked jokingly.

"Did you track mud in here?" she asked sternly.

"No, I did not track mud into our house," he said.

"Well, in that case, come back for the butter when you've finished," she ordered in a business like manner.

"Alright," Findrir said, turning to leave.

His voice soon joined those of Denola and her son in the dining room. As soon as he was completely out of eyesight, his wife dropped her annoyed face and bit her lip to stop a pleased smile.

It had been nearly eighty four years since the day she had taken her best friend to be her husband, but some things never changed.

"I think it's time to go eat. You had better get to bed early afterward. Your Adâdd is right, you two will be terribly sore come morning," she said, watching as her daughter picked up the butter tray. She was surprised at the look of disgust on her daughter's face.

"Care to explain that?" she asked, raising one eyebrow skeptically.

"How can you two be so...so…" the maiden searched for words.

"Yes?" her mother encouraged.

"Oh, you know, you're...happy, and practically flirting, and...it's like you've already forgotten everything that happened last week," she said.

"It's been a month," her mother replied quietly.

"That's even worse," the maiden shot, before leaving the kitchen with a defeated look on her face.

Her mother closed her eyes, and sighed heavily, leaning back against the countertop.

"No need, Addâd, I've got it," came her daughter's voice from the other room, obviously displeased at have to get the butter in her father's stead.

Findrir may have been joking earlier, but he had been right nonetheless. Their daughter's stubbornness did come from her side of the family, but that didn't explain the current situation.

This was so strange. Her daughter's disposition was kindly and light-hearted...True, it had been more subdued over the past month, but that was only to be expected after what had happened.

This was different. She was displeased and discontent and her mother couldn't help but be worried.

* * *

Dinner was in full swing. The venison was eaten with great relish by all save for the young maiden who picked at her food and stared at the table cloth next to her plate. The conversation had by the other members of the table was as good and as the food. Denola talked briefly about what she'd put in the meal, for she was an expert cook, and then preceded to tell the story of her long meeting with the silver-haired dwarf that was the upper village's temporary treasurer.

"I swear, he fell asleep three separate times during that meeting. I dare say I knew more about running finances, but then again, you do catch on to these things after you've been married to a bookkeeper for as long as I have," Denola said.

The maiden gripped her fork tightly.

"Who knows," the other dam. "Perhaps when he returns, he will find his wife newly in charge of Ered Luin's finances." she finished.

"He'd find that amusing to no end," Findrir commented.

Neither one noticed their daughter's jaw clench.

The conversation continued in this manner for the duration of the meal, and before long, plates were cleared, and Findrir was thanking Denola for coming over.

"It's good to have the both of you here as often as we do...Without you it would be just our little family of three," he said cordially.

"Oh, it's no inconvenience to us...it get's rather quiet at our home as well," Denola said.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the maiden spoke. Her father's last comment had been all her temper could handle, and she was finished.

"What? We're a family of three now, Addâd? So, we're just going to pretend that they don't exist?"

Denola tried to console her niece, but the maiden rounded on her next.

"Your addâd only meant that it's just the three of you at the moment," Denola tried to console her niece, but the maiden rounded on her next.

"And you, pretending that uncle just went to the market and will be back by sundown...That's different, but it's just as bad! Don't any of you understand what's going on? We just sit here and gab over money and food while they're out there risking their lives, and what do we do? We pretend they don't exist, or that they're just on a short trip, when really, we don't know if we'll ever see them again, because there's a good chance that they're all going to die out there!" the maiden practically shouted, standing from the table as she did so.

"There is every chance that your brothers and all the rest will come back to us alive and well, and we would never pretend they didn't exist," her mother said sternly, standing to face her daughter.

"If you're so sure that they'll be back, then why couldn't I go with them?" the maiden asked in a considerably quieter voice.

When her mother gave no answer, she spoke again. "I left my cloak in the arena, I'm going to get it."

Without waiting for permission, she left the table and headed for the door.

"I should go after her...Left mine at the arena as well," the young dwarrow said as the sound of the door opening and shutting loudly echoed through the house. He too excused himself and left the house.

The maiden's mother sunk back into her chair, elbows on the table, and head resting in her hands.

"I should go home," Denola said. "With the state Freya's in right now, she won't want to come home anytime soon. If she and Gimli go back to my place, there should be someone there waiting for them," Denola said.

"Thank you, Denola," Findrir said quietly.

She nodded her acknowledgment of his thanks, got up from the table with these words, and took her leave.

When the house was empty, save for Freya's parents, Findrir spoke.

"I'm going to go after her. She shouldn't be out there after dark," he said.

His wife sat up straight and shook her head. "She won't take kindly to your presence. She needs some time alone," she said, staying her husband's arm as he tried to stand.

"You aren't regretting your decision to keep her here, are you?" Findrir asked in concern.

"No. In that I am steadfast. She's too young to be roaming across Middle Earth, and she's a maiden to boot. No, it's not that decision that I regret," she said, her mind elsewhere.

"Then which is it?" Findrir asked.

"We shouldn't have let any of our children go on that blasted quest," she said, sighing.

"The lads are of age, and their Thorin's heirs. We couldn't have stopped them from going if we'd tried," he consoled her.

"Yes, but maybe Freya's right. One of us should have gone with them," she said.

"No. Freya's temper said that. You know full well that you are the only one who Thorin would have left in charge here. As for me? I wouldn't leave here with you unprotected. Dis, the lads have their uncles on both sides with them, as well as their distant relatives. They are as safe as they could be," Findrir said, taking Dis's hands in his own.

She nodded her head. She rarely showed worry and it was only with her husband that she shared her fears. All but one. Dis had the sinking feeling that not all was well on the quest.

"Thorin, you'd better bring my sons home," she whispered.

"I'm sure he will. Now, with the lack of chore doing children, we'll have to clear the table," Findrir said, rising and picking up his plate.

Dis did likewise, and stood, following him into the kitchen.

"Findrir, what if one of them meets a lass?" Dis asked, another worry occurring to her.

Findrir laughed at this thought. "That won't happen. They're not likely to cross the path of any dwarf maids out in the wild...We sent them to reclaim a mountain. The odds of either one returning with a wife are very slim," he said.

"What if she isn't a dwarf? My fifth cousin once removed married a hobbit a few years back," Dis said.

"Darling, your fifth cousin was the slightest bit off his rocker...our sons have a good eye for the right type of lady, something they inherited from me, and I'm sure that they know better than to go falling in love with the first lass that crosses their path," Findrir said, attempting to lift his wife's spirits.

Dis stopped where she was standing. "Something they inherited from you?" she asked, a slight smile playing about her face.

"There's the smile we were missing," Findrir said, taking the plate from her and putting both of them into the wash basin.

"Everything will be fine, you haven't a thing to worry about," he said, taking her into his arms.

"I hope you're right...And I hope Freya doesn't catch her death of cold out there," said Dis.

* * *

The last thing on Freya's mind at that moment was the weather. She had practically run the entire way to the arena, and her third cousin had been hard put to catch up. She now sat on a bench in the armory, fiddling with the clasp of her hood, while Gimli attempted to talk her out of the idea that she had imparted to him.

"That's a terrible idea," he said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"It isn't...we could pull it off, and no one would notice for hours," Freya said, sulkiness gone, and an impish light in her eyes.

"You aren't actually considering this, are you?" Gimli asked.

"I'm not just considering it, I'm planning it. I'm also asking you to come with me as my most trusted friend," she said, standing to face him, her cloak and hood falling to the bench.

"Most trusted friend, my ax. I'm your only trusted friend...the other three are on the other side of Middle Earth. Besides, why would going north-east to join Dain's army in the iron hills be a good idea in the first place?" Gimli asked.

"It isn't just a good idea, it's a brilliant one! If word gets back to Dain that Thorin and company are at the mountain, he'll ready his troops to aid his cousin. Those two have been friends since childhood, and arkenstone or no, he will come to Thorin's aid. If we can smuggle ourselves into that army, we've got aone-wayy ticket to Erebor," said Freya, with an eir of pride at her own plan in her voice.

"How would you smuggle yourself into an army that's made up entirely of adult dwarrows?" Gimli asked.

"There are a few dams that go with their husbands to fight, my ammâd did it once," Freya countered.

"You look nothing like an adult... You would be allowed in based on age alone," Gimli argued.

"That is where the armor comes in. If they don't know I'm an adolescent, they can't kick me out," Freya said.

"That's madness," Gimli told her.

"Madness or not, I'm doing it. Are you with me?" she asked.

There was a long silence before her cousin responded.

"Fine. But we'd best be long gone by dawn," Gimli agreed grudgingly.

* * *

And that is how it came to be that the two young dwarves began their northward trek through the fresh snow, each carrying a pack of pilfered provisions from the arena, an ax, and a suit of armor.

Neither one's parents would know of the disappearance until the next morning. Months later, over mountains, and through forests, all of Dis's worries were coming true. Both of her sons were in great peril as they passed into captivity in the woodland realm, and one was very much in danger of falling in love. For the other, it was far too late.

 **So, Gimli and Freya are off to join Dain's army, and their parents will be none too pleased to find out...Just be glad Gloin doesn't know what his son is doing.**

 **I kinda already introduced Freya in that dream a few chapters back, so that she wouldn't seem to pop out of nowhere...What did you think of her?**

 **Lastly, I thought Fili and Kili's father was actually dead, but apparently, that's not the case, so I included him...and Dis! Thoughts on them?**

 **Next chapter we'll be back to the Woodland Realm :)**


	29. In the halls of the woodland realm

**Now, back to your "regular programming." Note that anything in Sindarin or kuzdul is English italicised.**

 **Chapter 29**

Tauriel dismissed her patrol, keeping only one guard per dwarf, and leaving four to watch the two prisoners that were to see the king directly. Not wishing to report to Thranduil directly, she decided to take one of the dwarves down to the dungeons herself. Without even thinking, she moved to escort the young dwarf she had saved in the forest. Seeing that most of her guards had put a guiding (sometimes shoving) hand on the shoulders of their respective captives, she did the same.

He looked at her with no malice and did not struggle or attempt to escape as they walked towards the dungeons. This surprised Tauriel greatly, for in her experience, prisoners were always discontent and troublesome. As she looked around, Tauriel saw that these dwarves were no exception. They all looked sullen, angry, and a few looked downright enraged. As they walked out over one of the many freestanding bridges that wound around much of their realm, Tauriel saw that the dwarf she led was one of only two exceptions to this rule.

The other was a dwarf, similarly young in age, who showed no sign of anger, save for a defiant glint in his bright blue eyes. The moment Tauriel saw him, she recognized his face. He was Aria's husband, Fili. And he was here. She was about to lock him and his friends in her dungeons.

When she made this realization, Tauriel halted for a moment and gripped the shoulder of her captive tightly.

"Oh, don't worry. You won't fall. I'm right here in front of you," said the dwarf humorously, turning to look at her.

"I have walked these bridges for hundreds of years, master dwarf. I am not the one who should fear falling," Tauriel replied, eyebrow raised slightly.

"Hundreds of years?" the dwarf asked incredulously.

"Keep moving," was Tauriel's only reply.

Once she and her captive had continued along the bridge, Tauriel shook her head and smiled, despite her better judgment.

When they reached the dungeons, Tauriel led her prisoner to an empty cell and opened the door. She shoved him inside, and held the door open, surveying the work of the elves under her command. Several of the dwarves shouted in defiance at their captors, but the elves cared not, shoving each dwarf into a cell, putting two in a few of them.

Tauriel noticed one of her companions, the elf in charge of Fili, stop his captive from entering the cell. Tauriel didn't have to wonder why for long. The elf reached into his jacket and pulled (yet another) sizable dagger from within it. Tauriel briefly wondered if he was still armed before she was addressed by her own captive.

"Aren't you going to search me?...I could have anything down my trousers," he said, face serious, but a glint of humor in his eyes.

Tauriel surveyed him with a slight frown on her face.

"Or nothing," she said, shutting the door to the cell decisively.

She looked at him for but another moment through the barred door before turning and walking back towards the steps that led down to the guard keep. The place that her patrol kept their weapons and armor.

Before she could descend out of the dungeon, Legolas stopped her with a few words in Sindarin.

" _Why does the dwarf stare at you, Tauriel?"_ he asked, face as unreadable as stone.

" _Who can say,"_ Tauriel replied in a tone holding no more warmth than that of her prince.

Looking away from her prince, she allowed herself a slight smile. " _He's quite tall for a dwarf,_ " she said, wistfully.

She glanced at Legolas, looking away quickly, and sobering her voice quickly, and said " _don't you think?_ "

She began her walk down the stairs, but not so quickly as to miss Legolas's answer.

" _Taller than some...but no less ugly,_ " he said coldly.

Tauriel frowned at the staircase in front of her. Much as she would have like to agree with Legolas, she couldn't come to see that dwarf as ugly. In fact, she was beginning to think quite the opposite of him.

She then remembered her promise to banish the dreams along with the spiders. She decided that this would be impossible now that two of the very people from those dreams were under lock and key in her own home. She would take these events as they came and avoid rushing to conclusions.

With this new resolution, she opened the door at the foot of the stairs and entered the noisy guard keep. The place was a bustle with elves removing armor, hanging shields, and re-sharpening spears. A few were cleaning spider remains from their swords, and a merry conversation was had by all. Not only had they successfully captured fourteen dwarves at no cost, but they also had the third and final night of feasting to look forward to.

"Thalion, what have you got there?" Tauriel asked a chestnut haired elf who appeared to have his own armory.

"I, Captain Tauriel, am attempting to count a pile of daggers that I took off of the dwarf in my charge," Thalion replied in a jovial tone.

"The young one with light hair?" Tauriel asked.

"Indeed. Look at this one," Thalion agreed, holding up a particularly large dagger.

"What of it?" Tauriel asked.

"He nearly got into the cell with it. I took it just as I was about to close the door," Thalion told her.

"Do you suppose he's still armed?" Tauriel asked though she was not overly worried.

"No, and supposing he was, what use would it be against our cells. They have seen many prisoners more dangerous than a dwarf with a knife in their time," Thalion said.

Tauriel had seen enough of the guard keep to know that her patrol was in good spirits and under control, so she decided to take her leave.

Thalion, it seemed, had much the same idea. At the moment Tauriel decided to be on her way, Thalion finished with Fili's daggers and deposited them in a weapons chest.

"Captain," he hailed Tauriel.

"Yes, Thalion," Tauriel acknowledged.

"I had intended to visit Galion to inspect the preparations for tonight's celebration. Would you have an interest in accompanying me?" he asked.

"Yes, I have a while yet before going to report to The King," Tauriel said, and the two left the guard keep together.

"May I ask why you do not report to him directly. From what I understand of his temper, he does not like to be kept waiting," Thalion said.

"Indeed he does not, but the King has guests at the moment. I shouldn't like to intrude upon him while he attempts to interrogate prisoners," said Tauriel, and she meant it.

* * *

I was in a state of nervous anticipation, standing with Thorin, just inside the gates to the Realm. Four guards stood around us, per Tauriel's instructions, and I couldn't help but feel that they were intended more to control Thorin than myself.

" _Tell me,"_ Thorin said in khuzdul. " _Why have you been singled out_?" he asked me.

" _I told the prince to go kiss an orc...in Sindarin_ ," I answered in the same language.

" _What warranted that, if I may ask_ ," he asked in a voice that sounded more like a demand than a question.

" _He said I looked like a hobbit. Would you have let an insult like that go over your head?"_ I queried.

" _Maybe not, but I would have addressed my own insults in a language he could not understand,_ " Thorin advised.

" _Excuse me for asking, but if he didn't know what I was saying, then why insult him at all?"_ I asked.

"He won't be suspicious of a dwarf maiden knowing his language and decide to bring her before his King for a start," Thorin said, voice unchanging.

I nodded, and we fell into silence.

This silence continued on for some time before Legolas returned from the dungeons, and ordered us to follow him. More specifically, he ordered the guards to bring us after him.

We followed him through the hall and to a door at the other end that opened onto a vast space. Light filtered in all around, making it hard for me to remember that we were in doors. I could hear the sounds of birds chirping, and of running water, and when I looked over the edge of the slim path on which we stood, I could see it streaming down the walls, even splitting some of the walkways in two. The falls misted over, shrouding the lower levels of the realm from sight. Walkways and bridges seemed to hang in mid-air, weaving their way about the space, and the pathway that lead to the immense throne ahead of us was no different.

Legolas stopped us at the foot of the steps.

We were close enough to behold both the throne and the elf that sat upon it. The throne was ornate, carved of wood with antlers sprouting every which way from it. Thranduil was no less imposing in his crown of woven branches and his robe of silver. I was so caught up in surveying the monarch, that I nearly missed Legolas's order.

"Bring the she-dwarf first. My father may not be so inclined to talk with her _after_ dealing with Oakenshield," he said, casting a disdainful eye on the both of us.

I felt a strong urge to laugh, for at that inopportune moment, a picture of Legolas and Gimli fighting side by side popped into my head. His attitude would change in time, but I had more pressing matters than the prince's attitude towards dwarves to attend to at the moment.

Two of the guards followed me up the stairs, and took positions on either side of them when we reached the landing where sat the throne.

I looked up at its imposing structure, and waited, for what I did not know.

"Well, this is a surprise. I was under the impression that dwarves valued their women too much to take them on journeys such as this," the King said in his monotone voice.

"That was my impression as well," I replied in my most straight forward fashion.

"Then tell me, how does a maiden come to be in my domain under these circumstances?" he asked.

"I fell from the sky," I told him, deciding that the truth was so far fetched that even he wouldn't believe it.

"So, you will not give me the answer that I want to hear. Maybe another question, then… Why has my son thought to bring you before me?" he asked.

"I insulted him in Sindarin," I said, again choosing truth as the best policy.

"Indeed. A dwarf that speaks the language of my people. Maybe-" here he paused, and looked down at me for a moment, before changing directions. "That thing around your neck, what is it?" he asked.

I cursed under my breath, berating myself for failing to hide the pendant before this audience.

"A token, nothing more," I said.

"I do not think so. In fact, I am certain that is not what it is at all. The rune is ancient, one that few alive know how to read. It speaks of a summons. How came you by this?" he asked.

"My grandparents gave it to me," I told him.

The King seemed to look me over. "You fail to answer my questions truthfully," he observed.

"Quite the contrary. I have answered every question with some degree of truth. You merely ask questions that I have been bound not to answer. If you need my answers so badly, you can take it up with the Lady Galadriel," I said, confidence rising in my voice.

The king raised an eyebrow at my words, or maybe at my glare.

"I grow tired of this, dwarf," he said.

"Don't call me that. It's inaccurate," I said.

Thranduil dismissed this and went on to ask yet another question.

"Tell me what you and your companions were doing in the woods, and be careful with your answer. Why do you and your people disturb my realm on a night of merrymaking?" he asked, looking upon me sternly.

I racked my brains, but thought it best not to tell him what the company was actually doing in the woods.

"Well, you see, we had run out of food earlier that day, and we were all starving," was the answer I came up with.

"And your friends, they are in my dungeons now. What think you of that?" Thranduil asked.

"I expect they're all down there starving, sir," I replied impudently.

"I ask you once and for all, what were you doing in my forest?" he asked, malice rising in his voice.

"We were looking for food and drink because we were starving," I said, not breaking eye contact between us.

"And what brought you into the forest in the first place?" the king asked.

I shut my mouth and didn't say another word.

There was a long silence before one of the guards came to attention and spoke.

"Shall I take her to the cells, My King?" he asked.

"No...I have not yet come to a decision," he said.

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of a decision he could be making at the moment, but given my failure to be of any use to him, I dreaded what it might be. When at long last he spoke, the king's voice sounded pleased...unnervingly pleased.

"You have come to take back the mountain. You and your people are here for your homeland, are you not?" he asked.

I refused to speak.

"I thought so. Oakenshield wants what is his, and he has brought along his closest friends to take it from the dragon...But, that still doesn't explain you. A maiden not of his kin, who speaks the language of a people he is renowned for mistrusting," Thranduil mused.

"Unless," he continued. "Unless that is his very motive for bringing you, to act as a translator on the journey...No, that cannot be it, for dwarves are above such things. I wonder, did you did you have your own reasons for joining such a quest? Did you blackmail them into bringing you, proving your worth as a translator?"

He asked, seeming to read my every thought. I bit my lip, for I had no answer that I wished to supply him with. His quick intelect was frightening and awe inspiring all in one.

"Ah, I see. What then, was your reason for such an act? Personal gain? A promised share in the treasure, perhaps?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

I had held my tongue long enough. Was Thranduil really suggesting that I had wormed my way into Thorin Oakenshield's company for...for personal gain? I was appalled by this notion, and I told Thranduil so in no uncertain terms.

"I've known from the beginning that I would gain nothing material from this quest. I have no desire for gold. In fact, I much prefer silver. No, I only wish to see Erebor regained safely, and it's conquerors alive and well," I said in a level yet commanding tone.

"Now I see. This is a task set to you. You mentioned the Lady Galadriel? Yes, well, by all means, stay with your precious company, and much good may it do you in the end," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I turned to leave the dais, but was halted by the King's next words. I did not bother to face him, but I could hear a note of amusement had entered his voice.

"Maybe you did not intend material gain at the start of your journey, but I would be surprised if that has not changed by now," he said.

"I'm sure I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about," I said, hoping that he wasn't alluding to what I thought he was.

"Oh, I think you do. I have seen that look in the eyes of the young more times than I can count. There is more binding you to this company than just a sense of obligation," he said.

As he spoke, I closed my eyes slowly, a knot of dread filling my stomach. Did I care what Thranduil learned from our conversation? No, not particularly.

Yet try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to forget the fact that Thorin had heard every word spoken by both the king and myself. The king had just accused me of falling in love with one of my companions, and there was nothing I could do to remedy the fact that Thorin had heard.

"Take her to the cells," Thranduil said dismissively, and I was escorted to the base of the stairs where Thorin waited.

As I walked, he stepped out to block my path. I dreaded what he was about to say, knowing that Thorin was not dull enough to miss the meaning of Thranduil's parting words. He spoke in khuzdul, ensuring that none of the guards were privy to our exchange.

" _You spoke not of our quest, and denied personal gain to a king who could have paid you handsomely. You have my gratitude,"_ he said in just as gruff a voice as was his usual.

The guards quickly pushed me past Thorin, but I gave a slight bow of my head before they could do so.

While the guards marched me out of the hall and towards the dungeons, I thought of Thorin's words. I could only cringe at the thought that Thranduil had revealed my pendant to be more than just a token, and revealed the fact that I'd become emotionally attached to one member of the company in front of Thorin. It wouldn't be difficult for him to guess just who I had fallen in love with, and that was one conversation I never wanted to have with my leader. But maybe, just maybe, my denouncement of gold and of want for personal gain, coupled with my shielding of the company's secrets might have turned his opinion in my favor.

From what he had said on the staircase, I could derive some hope that I had gained his trust at last.

Nevertheless, I was in a foul mood when we reached the dungeons. I was thrust into one of the uppermost cells on what seemed to be the second level of the dungeons. Looking down and to the opposite side of the cells, I had a clear view of Dwalin, Fili, and Kili's prisons, and a fair view of the steps in both directions.

When the door closed behind the guards, and they had descended the staircase out of sight, there was a silence.

Still fuming over Thranduil's accusations and parting comments, I spoke, very loudly, a sentence that I never thought would pass my lips.

"I hate that elf!"

 **Thranduil figured Aria out so fast! Thorin seems to have a better opinion of her now that she didn't cave under pressure.**

 **Only downside is that he now knows she's in love with one of his dwarves. Do you think he'll figure out who?**

 **What did you think of Tauriel and Kili's interactions?**


	30. Moving Mountains and Saving them

**I'm heading back to school tomorrow, so posting will be only once or twice a week now.**

 **On a different note, a LOT happens this chapter, and I would love to know what you guys think of it.**

 **Chapter 30**

"What did you say?" Dwalin asked after a long pause, standing, hands on the bars of his door.

"You heard me. I'm fed up with that high-minded, insufferable, lunatic of an elf!" I said loudly.

"Well, it's official then. The lass's got her head on straight about elves. I was beginning to think you had a soft spot for the tree dwellers," Dwalin said in his usual gruff tone, sitting back down on his stone ledge.

I nearly asked him if he believed WE were in a tree, but thought better.

"Enough of that, brother. Aria, what did the King say?" Balin asked.

"The usual interrogation questions. Who are you, what are you doing here, why have you traveled through my forest," I shrugged, not wishing to go into specifics.

"He asked you about the quest?" Balin queried, his voice suddenly sharp.

"Yes. I told him nothing," I said.

"So, you just stood there?" Kili asked, smiling.

"No, I didn't just stand there," I retorted, my demeanor softening.

"Well, you didn't lie to him, so what did you say?" Fili asked, standing and moving to lean against the wall closest to his cell door, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes. I've been told by some that I'm a terrible liar," I said looking directly at Fili. "So, I didn't even attempt to do that. I just made up some bogus story about us all being hungry and needing provisions. It was true, it just wasn't the whole truth," I told Balin.

"And what of Thorin?" Dwalin asked.

"He is speaking with Thranduil now. Let us just hope that he's offered some kind of a deal because I can't see another way out of this mess," I said, before taking a seat on my stone ledge. Across from me, I saw Fili resume his own seat.

"Aye lass, I fear you may be right," Balin said, sighing.

There was nothing more to do but wait until Thorin returned from his audience.

I moved to the opposite end of my cell, swinging my legs up onto the ledge, and leaning my head against the back wall. As I sat there in silence, I began to run my fingers over the pendant around my neck. I wished that it wouldn't bring me back to Earth if I took it off. I didn't want to risk anyone else noticing it. I made a fist around the stone rune and sighed. If only there was a way to disguise the rune, so that it could go unnoticed.

"What?" I whispered, as I felt a change within my fist. I released the pendant in surprise, letting it fall back to my neck.

I tentatively reached up, taking it between my thumb and forefinger, feeling it over in disbelief. Where a rune had been only moments ago, the stone had reshaped itself into a smooth orb.

"That's impossible," I whispered to myself, wanting to take it off to get a better look, but fearing the consequences.

Could this be another safety mechanism put in place by my grandparents? Or, could the very stone have obeyed my wishes and changed its form. There was only one way to find out. I was surrounded by stone here in this cell, so what was the harm in trying?

Feeling very foolish, to say the least, I put my hand up to the rough wall, and willed it to become smooth.

Nothing happened.

What a ridiculous idea, to think I had been the reason for the change in my pendant. I shook my head and was just about to lower my hand back to the ledge when I felt it.

The stone seemed to run like water beneath my hands, changing to become silk-like to the touch. I could feel a connection to the element, my mind tentatively guiding it into the shape and texture that I wished. I let my hand fall down the wall, lines of smooth stone drifting in its wake.

I looked at the wall before me in amazement. The area around the spot where I'd held my hand to the wall was smooth, no valleys or sharp spots evident on its surface. At that moment, I remembered something my grandfather had told me on my visit. He'd given me the gift of clarity and strength when I touched stone. Clarity and strength, among other things. I had been to preoccupied at the time to ask just what other gifts might come from being the granddaughter of two powerful Valar, but now I was bursting with questions. I realized that my only answers would have to come from myself, and decided to test my ability on the wall of my cell.

In the next minutes, I found that I could do things like removing pieces of stone from the wall, making the wall smooth, making it uneven, and carving patterns on its surface were all quite easy. I was a bit put out when I realized that I couldn't exactly change the color of the stone. Well, I could, but I felt the effort drain my energy, and the hue soon faded from the stone.

I came to the conclusion that making natural changes, such as changes in shape or texture could be accomplished easily, whereas making changes that a stone would not undergo naturally drained my energy, no matter how small. I moved on to another task. This time, I wanted to see just how far my influence over the stone extended.

Putting my hand once more to the wall, I took a deep breath and focused my mind on an area further up the wall. I willed the stone to form a small spike, and it appeared on the wall. Next, I repeated the same tactic on the wall opposite me, without moving my hand. It was more difficult, but in the end, it was accomplished. I wanted to try the tactic on a different cell, so I stood, and moved quietly to my door. Thanks to the bending path, I could see into the empty cell two doors down from me. I put my hand on the wall nearest my door and concentrated on a spot in the other cell. It was almost a full minute before I was able to coax the stone in the other cell to conform to my will.

I reached up to run my hand through my messy curls but stopped when I felt the accumulation of sweat on my brow. This was more taxing than I thought it might be, and I decided that I was done experimenting. It was then that I had one final idea. I looked down at Kili's cell and focussed the rune stone that he had taken out of his pocket. I waited, hand on my own wall, but felt no connection to Kili's stone. I couldn't feel the life force flowing unseen through the little token. There was something blocking me from it, and I had a feeling that distance had nothing to do with it.

It was clear to me now that I could only influence stone that touched, or was connected to my hand.

I had just decided to go back to my ledge to rest when Thorin was marched into the dungeon.

No sooner had the guard and his ring of jangling keys disappeared, than Balin was asking Thorin a question.

"Did he offer you a deal?"

"He did. I told him he could go 'Ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu!' - him and all his kin!" Thorin shouted.

The rough translation of Thorin's words was I spit upon your grave! For my part, I thought it enormously funny, but didn't dare to laugh at him.

I heard Balin's weary sigh, and his words echoed throughout the cells."Well...that's it, then. A deal was our only hope."

In the semi-dark safety of my cell, I mouthed Thorin's next words.

"Not our only hope," he said.

"Aye, but suppose something's happened to our burglar," Dwalin said pessimistically.

"We'd be better off not worrying about it. If Bilbo is out there, he will return to us. All we can do is wait and hope for the best," Fili said from his own cell.

I smiled. Fili was always sensible, and his optimism was easily infectious. A couple of the others gave nods and grunts of agreement, but Bofur of all people, laughed.

"I hadn't meant to be comedic. What's so amusing, Bofur?" Fili asked.

"Oh, nothing. Only, I remember saying much the same thing to you in Goblin Town. As I recall, you didn't handle it that well when I said it," Bofur observed.

My interest was grabbed by his words. I'd missed the events of Goblin Town, and was curious to know more.

"Bofur, what're you talking about?" I asked, loudly enough for him to hear. I leaned against the bars of the cell, so that Bofur was clearly visible. He looked up at me and gave a devilish smile.

"What? You never heard about this?" Bofur asked.

"No, I didn't," I replied, remembering that Kili's explanation in the woods beneath the carrock was very vague.

"You don't need to. It's not important," Fili said, standing and walking to the door of his own cell.

"Oh nonsense, of course you should hear about it. Seeing as it had to do with you," Bofur told me.

"Well, get on with it then," I said.

"From what we know, Thorin told you to remain behind at Rivendell," Bofur began.

"That's correct," Thorin said gruffly.

"Well, we later found out that one of our own company had directly disobeyed his leader's orders and helped you to leave Rivendell and follow us. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about," Bofur joked.

"I can hazard a guess," I played along, throwing an apologetic smile in Fili's direction.

"I would hope so, anyways, all would have gone according to plan, had we not been captured by those villainous goblins. As soon as the Goblin King sent for his torture weapons, there was nothing for us poor prisoners to do but wait. Young Fili came to the conclusion that you would either be killed by goblins or by stone giants and when I asked what bothered him, he told me what the two of you had done," Bofur said.

"You mean he told Thorin off for possibly getting Aria killed, and the rest of us heard," Gloin corrected Bofur.

"Yes, yes, the details aren't important," said Bofur.

I noticed that Fili hadn't spoken up at all through this, and wondered if he was embarrassed? He had certainly crossed his arms defensively. As for me, I was blushing at the thought that Fili had confronted Thorin on my behalf. When Kili had first related these events to me, rather quickly in the forest, too much else had been on my mind to fully comprehend them. Now, I was listening to Bofur's story with relish.

He continued. "That is when I said much the same thing to Fili that Fili just said to Dwalin," Bofur said.

"And what was his response?" I asked, more quietly than I had spoken before.

"Let me see, I think it was something along the lines of ' _don't be foolish Bofur, there's a good chance she's died out there, and it's my fault'_ , but I could be wrong," Bofur said.

"How do you remember it word for word? Wish I was that talented," Kili remarked. He was obviously having as much fun with the story as Bofur was.

"Because, lad, storytelling is my business... well, storytelling and mining. Anyway, Fili soon realized that we might not be having this problem at all if Thorin had made you stay back with the elves, and then he and our most esteemed leader got into quite an argument. If I remember correctly-" Bofur was cut off.

"Alright Bofur, that's enough for one day. Get some sleep, all of you. Mahal knows we've nothing better to do," Thorin said, stopping Bofur from divulging the details of he and his nephew's fight.

"Yes sir's", and a few "alright's" coupled with one "wise words indeed" followed this statement, and the company fell silent.

Seeing Fili's look of obvious embarrassment, I spoke up. "I'm honestly hurt that more of you weren't trying to yell at Thorin...traitors," I said jokingly.

To my surprise, several of the dwarves laughed.

"Alright, enough. I admit I was in the wrong, but I meant it. Get some sleep everyone," Thorin said, and this time, no one disobeyed.

All was silent, that is until the snores of several of the dwarves filled the dungeon.

I was sitting on my ledge, unable to sleep despite my exhaustion, thinking about our impending barrel ride, when a thought occurred to me. There had been only one extra barrel in the cellars and Bombur had broken his, taking the only spare...There was no room for another person, and doubling up was completely unrealistic considering that the barrels would later become hiding places. I closed my eyes as I realized that one of us would have to stay behind. I knew who that duty fell to, and I knew that when the time came to escape, I would have to explain just why I was remaining in the prison of the woodland realm. I was going to stay here.

I moved one more to the door of my cell sitting on the edge of my ledge, seeing that all of the dwarves in my vision were asleep, save one.

"Fili, who else is awake?" I asked.

"No one that I can see," he answered.

"In that case I want to apologize for what I said in the forest. I know you were only worried that I'd died and I think it shows a lot of self-restraint that you don't go yelling at people when you get angry," I said sincerely.

"As Bofur pointed out, I do yell sometimes," he said, laughing dryly. "Anyway, of course it's alright. Besides, I overreacted...again," he said.

I smiled in relief. "I'm glad to hear it. I hate fighting with you," I told him, immediately wishing I hadn't said that last part.

"Oh? I was under the impression that you quite enjoyed it," Fili said smiling in return.

"You got me," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

So, what else happened during your audience with the elven king?" Fili asked.

"Oh, he accused me of blackmailing my way into the company," I said.

"That's the truth, Aria," Fili said, still smiling.

"I know, and it would have been fine, but the stupid elf accused me of only coming along for personal gain," I said.

"Do I want to know how you responded to that?" he asked.

"I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was something about liking silver more than gold, and only wanting to make sure you got to the mountain safely," I shrugged.

Fili was quiet for a moment, but when he finally answered, I couldn't read the tone of his voice. "I've just realized that you're the only one of this company who isn't doing this for personal gain. Also, you're the only person I know who prefers silver to gold," he said.

"Not according to the elven king," I said glumly.

"What do you mean? Does he like silver too?" Fili asked.

My face brightened a little. "No, I meant about personal gain," I said.

"What personal gain are you getting from this quest?" he asked, I could see confusion outlined on his face.

"I'd rather not say," I told him. This was the understatement of the century. I would have been embarrassed beyond belief if he ever found out.

"Is this one of those two remaining secrets?" he asked.

"Yes. I've told you before after this is all over, I'll tell you both of the remaining secrets," I said.

"That isn't fair, what if I'm dead after this?" Fili asked, humor touching his voice.

"Fili, that isn't funny," I said, snapping suddenly.

"Let it be funny. If it isn't, it gets terrifying," he said quietly.

After a pause, I asked a question to fill the silence.

"Do you have any secrets? Anything you refuse to tell me," I explained my question.

"One," he said thoughtfully.

"Just one?" I asked.

"Yes, but the more I think about it, the harder it gets to keep," he said.

What was that supposed to mean? I hadn't the foggiest idea what he could be talking about, but when he spoke, I could feel my heartbeat quicken, and a strange tightening in the pit of my stomach.

"I-I think I'm going to get some sleep now," I said.

"That's probably for the best...Goodnight Aria," he said quietly.

I nodded and moved back on my ledge.

It was then that an idea struck me. The ledge was quite uncomfortable...Could I soften the stone?

I put my palm flat out on the ledge, and concentrated, willing it to become soft beneath me. I smiled, as the ledge became soft as a feather bed beneath me. I enjoyed the sensation of something softer than I'd sat on in weeks.

I didn't stop to think that stone had never, and should never be soft as feathers. I didn't consider how much energy something this unnatural would take.

I didn't realize how weak I'd become until my vision blurred and I felt myself collapse to the floor.

* * *

Tauriel hesitated in the staircase outside the chamber. It had been the Queen's favorite room before her death, for it was one of the few places where the stars could be seen from inside, perfectly reflected in the blue pool carved into the floor. Tauriel didn't know very much more about the room or the Queen, but this is where she had been told to report to Thranduil, and she heard that he frequented this room.

"I know you're there. Why do you linger in the shadows?" her king's voice said from around the bend. Tauriel responded quickly, descending the rest of the stairs, and coming into view of the silver robed monarch.

"I was coming to report to you." she explained.

"I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past," Thranduil said, his voice one of cool annoyance.

Tauriel paced in front of him as she answered his question. "We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord, but more spiders keep coming up from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur; if we could kill them at their source-" she was interrupted.

"That fortress lies beyond our borders. Keep our lands clear of those foul creatures, that is your task." The King ordered her.

"And when we drive them off, what then? Will they not spread to other lands?" she asked, for she yearned to end the spiders once and for all, without causing harm to the people around the forest.

"Other lands are not my concern. The fortunes of the world will rise and fall, but here in this kingdom, we will endure," the king replied.

Tauriel bowed her head, and turned to walk away, but was halted in her path.

"Legolas said you fought well today," Thranduil observed.

Tauriel halted and smiled in appreciation.

"He has grown very fond of you," Thranduil said.

Tauriel looked away, a blush of shock and embarrassment creeping across her fine features.

"I assure you, my lord, Legolas thinks of me as no more than a captain of the guard," she said quickly and with less confidence in her voice than in her previous addresses.

"Perhaps he did once. Now, I'm not so sure." The king mused, walking past her to pour himself a cup of wine.

"I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf," she said, hoping the king did not look upon his son's affections with a kind eye. For she knew she could never return those feeling.

"No, you are right. I would not. Still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none," Thranduil ordered her.

Worry and anguish passed across Tauriel's face, for she had been trying to do just that for some time now.

Tauriel took this as a sign of dismissal and gave her king a deep bow before turning to leave. She had promised the two brothers, Galion and Thalion that she would attend the feast that night, and she still had to properly assign a guard to the dungeons.

As Tauriel made her way towards the Guard Keep, she couldn't help but think that she wouldn't mind being on guard herself tonight.

She wanted to speak with Aria and find out more about her. While this was understandable, Tauriel also felt the inexplicable desire to speak with the young dwarf who had been so forward with her earlier that day. He really was taller than most of his companions, and despite what Legolas had said, he was quite a bit less ugly than most of them as well.

* * *

 _I knew I was dreaming. The rock beneath me was not that to which I had fallen. I knew now that I had overused my energy, but I was so shocked at how quickly the strength had fled my body over such a small task._

 _I reaffirmed the idea that the color experiment had first given me: If it wasn't something the stone would do in nature, it was going to cost me exponential amounts of energy._

 _Sun warmed my face, and I felt a slight breeze against my hair. I opened my eyes, happily unaware of my surroundings. When I sat up, my countenance changed. I stood at the top of the guard tower on Raven hill. It was rebuilt and though this place seemed to have no more use than as an observation deck, I could hear the murmur of voices, and the thudding of boots beneath my feet._

 _I stood, and a sense of vertigo enveloped me, and I was forced to close my eyes to block out the world._

 _When I opened my eyes, I saw a very different scene before me than the Erebor I knew. The desolate plain before the front gates now held gardens, crops, and even a tamed orchard before the natural beginning of the forest. The great trees of Mirkwood had expanded their borders more quickly than I would have thought possible, and at parts, they extended to the steep slopes of the lonely mountain itself. They seemed more friendly than the forest that I knew, but maybe this could be attributed to their youth._

 _A well-paved road wound up to the gates of Erebor, which were flung wide open, inviting travelers and tradesmen in with open arms._

 _I surveyed the scene for a few more moments before my view changed. I seemed to fly towards that very spot where I had noticed Mirkwood meeting Erebor, and before I knew it, my feet were on firm ground, and I was stepping through the great pines. The trees grew right up to the mountain, and I found places where the roots mingled with the stone. As I walked alongside the steep side of the mountain, I came upon a glade._

 _A space where the trees didn't quite reach the mountain. A marveled at the sight, for a great dwelling seemed to sprout from the mountainside. From the design of the great pillars and sloping arches, coupled with the many windows and graceful embellishments, I could have believed myself back in Rivendell. What dwarf would call this dwelling home? I wondered, tilting my head back to see that further up the mountainside, above the tree line, there was a great balcony carved into the living stone. I couldn't help but think that it would be the perfect place to watch the stars._

 _I wanted to explore, but I was rushed away from the hall in the glade, and I seemed to fly through the mountain, seeing its prosperity all around me._

 _I wondered at the place, for it truly was an underground city. Buildings were carved out of the stone and different regions of the city were connected by walkways and bridges._

 _I came at last to one of these buildings that seemed to be set apart from the others, higher up into the mountain. The double doors to this place burst open as I flew through them, and I could see a large room with a roaring fireplace and several couches and armchairs. To the opposite side of these arrangements, there were four doors leading to other rooms in what I guessed was a house. Yet, the center of the room was dominated by a grand staircase that led to a second floor of rooms. I seemed to fly up the stairs and through the rooms quickly, glimpsing more than a couple of bedrooms, a gallery, a library that was achingly familiar to me, and what I was sure was a playroom for small children._

 _I seemed to burst through the ceiling of this house, and I continued to rise until I could see all of Dale, Erebor, and even Esgaroth in my sight. It was beautiful, more so than I ever could have imagined._

 _The world around me began to spin, and once more, I was on Ravenhill, but this time it was not refurbished. The only additions to its makeup were three monuments carved in the likenesses of dwarves, and I didn't want to get any closer. I knew who this memorial remembered._

 _My view changed quickly. The sky was as grey as I remembered in the films, and the battlefield barren. No trees grew near the mountain, and certainly, no home was carved into its side._

 _The gates of Erebor remained broken as they had been after the battle of the five armies. I once again flew through the mountain but saw only the remains of Smaug's ruin and signs of neglect. The dwelling high in the mountain was no different. I flew once more through the peak of the mountain, seeing the ruins of the lonely mountain, Esgaroth, and the small village of inhabited ruins that was left of Dale._

 _I could do nothing but hang there, suspended by fear and the force of my dreams. It was then that I felt it. The unmistakable sensation that what I saw was true. It was how I separated my dreams from my visions, and this was one scene that I had hoped was nothing more than a nightmare._

 _The message was clear. Without a member of the principal line of Durin to lead them, the dwarves would not remain long in Erebor. More than just the ruler under the mountain and the lives of three dwarves was at stake. My mind began to race, calculating the future in my head, whirling with this new information. Dain must have led the dwarves of Erebor back to the Iron hills, where his own people made their home...Most of all, I found myself unable to keep the image of those memorials out of my head._

 _I knew I was in love with Fili, but never before had I thought of a life after his death. I was now sure that if the battle took him from this world, I wouldn't be able to carry on._

* * *

"Aria," I heard my name.

It was closely followed b a clanging sound near me. I opened my eyes slowly, realizing that I was covered in sweat and breathing hard.

"Yes?" I asked the silence, head still spinning from the dream.

"You were mumbling in your sleep," said a second voice.

"I was what?" I asked, trying to sit up, but only making it so far as to prop myself on one elbow.

"You were talking in your sleep. We thought it best to wake you," said the first voice that I could now identify as Fili's.

"Hang on, you mean YOU thought it was best to wake her? I only suggested you throw a dagger up to her cell floor to wake her," said the second, the one I realized was Kili.

"Wait a second...they disarmed you on the way in," I said groggily.

"Correction, they tried to disarm me, I still have two small throwing axes, a dagger, and three small spikes that work if you're in a pinch for weapons," said Fili proudly.

Kili chuckled. "All I managed to sneak in was a rock. Well, a rock and those gifts that your grandfather gave me," Kili said. "Oh, and the dagger he gave me as well, I've still got it in my coat...I feel foolish, asking that elf for a dagger now," he said.

"If you aren't going to tell us what my grandfather gave you, at least don't taunt us. As to the elf, least she didn't search you," I offered.

"True...Aria?" he asked my name after a long pause.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you know her name? The fire-haired elf?" he asked.

I smiled, conspiratorially, an expression Kili completely missed.

"Who? Tauriel?" I asked, supplying him his answer.

"Yes...I don't suppose she and that prince are-" he began, but I quickly cut him off.

"Nope...Not even a little bit. Why do you ask?" I questioned him, knowing perfectly well why.

"No reason, I'd just feel sorry for anyone that had to put up with that prat for a husband...or a friend for that matter," he said, falling into silence.

I occupied this silence by promptly bursting out into laughter. I couldn't help but think of Gimli and Legolas...self-proclaimed inseparable friends...oh if they only knew.

When I wouldn't answer Fili and Kili's questions as to why I was laughing, we soon settled back into silence. Kili began to toss his rune stone into the air, catching it each time, and I picked up the small dagger that Fili had tossed up into my cell. I dared not throw it back, for my aim was poor, to say the least, so I took it back to my ledge.

Once there, I unclasped my once bright red cloak and spread it out over the ledge. No more trying to make the ledge soft...I would never attempt that sort of thing again.

I stared at Fili's dagger, remembering the nightmare it had awoken me from. Thoughts of the death and destruction that would occur if Fili, Kili, and Thorin died jarred with the sounds of music and laughter that began to filter in from above.

I ran my thumb over the handle and thought of how I, like Fili, so wished to tell him that secret. Unlike the prince, there was no way on earth I would ever tell him. I couldn't hurt him like that.

If only I knew what it was that he wouldn't tell me…

These thoughts were intruded upon by the sound of an opening gate, and one set of boots, moving softly towards us on the stairs.

"That time already?" I whispered for I knew exactly to who was coming towards the cells.

 **What do you guys think of Bofur embarrassing Fili? Can you guess Fili's secret? I bet you can ;)**

 **Tauriel, really doesn't seem to like Thranduil's way of running things, does she.**

 **Aria's dream took a quick turn for the worse, but I do wonder, who lived in that house where the forest met the mountains?**

 **Ha...they really thought they got all of Fili's weapons, didn't they!**

 **Lastly, what do you think of Aria's new ability? It gets really important later.**


	31. Promises and late nights

**Elleth=elf maid**

 **Naneth=mother**

 **Adar=father**

 **vertical dots indicate passage of time in a long conversation.**

 **Chapter 31**

Tauriel was enjoying the celebrations much less than she should have. She had eaten scarcely and had nothing beyond water to drink. The reason for her discomfort seemed quite apparent to the elleth in question. Tauriel thought herself to be a creature of planning and habit. She knew her duty, and her plans for the future, but the arrival of these dwarves shaken her out of the calm orbit she had maintained for years.

Unable to restrain her mind from wondering, she politely excused herself from table at which she had been sitting, and crossed the room, craning her neck in search of the only one she trusted to tell her worries. Tauriel, who wasn't especially tall for an elf, had trouble seeing over the heads of the other guests, but she eventually found her friend Valaina.

She made her way to a small table from which the healer watched the celebrations with a quiet smile of contentment on her face.

Taruiel took the seat opposite her and Valaina turned to greet her.

"What troubles you, Mellon," Valaina asked, surprising Tauriel, for she showed now outward sign of displeasure.

"The same problem which did so trouble me at our last meeting," Tauriel answered calmly.

"You dreamt again, did you not?" Valaina asked, the hint of a knowing smile touching her lips.

"I did, but that is not all that bothers me. In the dreams, I saw a child who called me mother in a different tongue," Tauriel said.

"That is only to be expected. It's natural and nothing to trouble yourself over," Valaina assured her.

"Yes, but there were others in the dreams. A young boy and his naneth in the first, and his naneth and adar in the second," Tauriel said.

"Forgive me, Tauriel, but why do these things worry you?" Valaina asked, brow furrowing.

"Because the parents were among those I arrested in the woods today," Tauriel said in a hushed voice.

"I was under the impression that only dwarves were captured in the woods," Valaina said.

"You aren't wrong," Tauriel answered.

"Ah, this only confirms what I have known to be true since you first told me of that dream. He to whom the dreams point is closer than you may think," Valaina smiled.

"But I don't have time for such things. Nor do I wish for the affections of any elf in this realm," Tauriel said.

"Child, you must understand that sometimes these things occur whether we have time for them or not," Valaina said, offering Tauriel a warm smile.

"What should I do?" Tauriel asked the older elf.

"Well, you are a captain of the guard. Our dungeons aren't often in use, but in times like these, they are your territory," the other elf hinted.

"Are you saying I should speak with them?" Tauriel asked.

"I'm saying you should try," Valiana encouraged her.

Tauriel nodded and took her leave of both her friend and the celebration. She valued Valaina's advice above that of any other's, and would do as she suggested.

Tauriel made her way to the dungeons quickly, and once she reached the guard's station, she knocked and was quickly beckoned into the antechamber behind the great oak door to the dungeon. It was there that she found the elf stationed on guard duty.

"Captain," he nodded in acknowledgment.

"You're relieved of duty Calanon," Tauriel told him.

"Have I done something wrong, Captain?" Calanon asked, worried that he had disobeyed the king's will in some way.

"No, Calanon. I merely thought you would enjoy the last night of feasting," Tauriel said, giving him a rare smile.

"Yes, I would indeed...but who will take my place?" Calanon asked, seeing no one else there.

"I will. How much longer are you on duty?" Tauriel asked.

"The rest of the night, Captain," he said.

"Very well then, you're dismissed," said Tauriel. As she watched Calanon leave, she couldn't help but wonder what she'd just gotten herself into.

The entire night?

Oh well, there was no use dwelling on the duties she had just unknowingly undertaken. She needed to speak with the dwarf she had seen in her dreams and Tauriel didn't want anyone privy to this conversation.

Tauriel wasted no time in opening the second door, this one barred and secured with a lock, walking inside, and descending a short flight of stairs. Before her, she could see the two levels of the dungeons, laid out before her, cells carved into the stone in two directions.

She now stood in the exact place that Legolas had stood only hours before, watching as the guards confined their prisoners.

A turn right would lead her upwards and towards the only cell that had been empty that day. This is where Aria must be imprisoned if logic served her right. Tauriel began to walk in this direction but paused in her steps.

It was then that she remembered the dwarf that she had imprisoned. She had an urge to see him again. She didn't know what could come of such an encounter, but she couldn't shake the memory of his behavior towards her. It had contrasted so strikingly to the mannerisms of the rest of his company. He didn't share their gruffness and apparent displeasure with elves, or their thick beards.

Tauriel turned her thoughts away from him. She had a reason for being in the dungeons that night. She had to discover more about those dreams, and they certainly could have nothing to do with that dwarf... If only she could remember his name.

Tauriel had to shake her head and redirect her straying mind. She turned right and made her way past each cell, noting that the dwarfs inside were asleep. She strolled round each bend until she was finally confronted with the last barred door.

She turned to look inside and found that the person inside was already looking back at her.

Now that she was confronted with the answer to her questions, Tauriel found that she didn't know what to say.

Aria, on the other hand, did.

* * *

As soon as she appeared before my cell, I knew what I had to say.

"How did you know my name?" I asked.

Tauriel seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, drawing herself up to her fullest height.

"It is sometimes within the power of my people to dream of things we have not yet seen and people we have not yet met. I saw a time that has not come and you were a part of it," she told me.

I was? Had she dreamed of Kili? What did she know?

"Anybody else?" I asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Yes. Your husband, and child," she said.

My jaw physically dropped.

"My what?" I asked incredulously.

"Your husband...the one with the unending supply of daggers. Fili was his name, was it not?" she asked.

I found myself completely unable to speak for several moments.

"A future where Fili and I could be married isn't unwelcome to me, but I fear it's one that I don't think I'll ever see outside my dreams," I said, at last, keeping my voice just above a whisper.

"Yet, it is a future that you could see?" she asked.

"Like you, yes," I said. "But why would you dream about a couple of dwarves? Do elves often have foresight's?" I asked, my natural curiosity surging.

"No. Some high elves have the gift of truly seeing the future, but as a silvan elf, blessed with no such gifts, I could only have seen the future under one circumstance," she explained.

"Which would be…" I prompted.

"Dreams of our future life often occur when we are near one we could fall in love with," she said, face unchanged.

I had to fight a smile. "I can see why you want to know who I am. You don't know who it is yet, do you?" I asked.

"No indeed. Moreover, I don't have time for such things. Nor do I wish to be held to this forest by obligation. I have longed to venture forth from these branches for many years and I will not be bound here," she said emphatically.

"If it helps, I'll answer any questions I can," I said.

"In your dreams, did you ever have a child?" she asked.

"Yes, two in fact. A boy named Filip and a girl named Fira," I said, trying to wrap my head around the incomprehensible situation that I found myself in.

Tauriel nodded. "Filip had your hair, but golden. He had his father's eyes as well," she said.

"Yes...How did you-"

"I have seen him too. Do you know anything about my supposed future husband? We have seen the same future, so anything you know must be true," she surmised.

"I'm not telling. You have two daughters, as far as I can see. Ella and Kahli are close to Filip, but I don't want to say more than that. It's not my place to interfere in relationships. I have to let events take their course, and if I tell you his name, I'll change more than should be changed. I'm sorry Tauriel, but I can't," I told her.

"I understand. I only wish I knew what to look out for," she said longingly.

"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked, feeling like I'd done a disservice to the elleth.

"Only one thing. Fili called my husband by the name "prince", yet the only prince I know is but a friend, and looked nothing like my child," she said.

"Maybe you forget that Legolas Greenleaf is not the only prince to walk Middle Earth," I said, daring to speak no more after these words passed my lips.

Tauriel frowned slightly as if trying to think of any other princes besides Legolas.

"Thank you, and may you pass a restful night," she said.

I bid her farewell and watched as she bowed her head gracefully and strolled away from my cell.

I couldn't help but think that it had been the oddest conversation I'd had in a long time. I should have liked to get to know her better, but we both had other things, and other people, on our minds. So Tauriel had experienced a similar type of dream to mine.

The thought that I wasn't the only one who had seen little Filip made my heart ache. The thought that that precious, impossible child hadn't just be a product of my own imagination brought tears to my eyes. I had tried not to think about Filip or little Fira ever since I had realized that they were mine.

Why? Because thinking about them always led to thoughts of their father. I glanced in the direction of Fili's cell, but I was too far away from my own cell door to see its occupant. I felt the tight sensation in the pit of my stomach that I could never place, but that only thoughts of Fili could elicit. I hated myself for wanting the children to exist, and I loathed the thought that Fili might one day know that I expected (or wanted) something from him that he could never happily give me.

Assuming that I was able to save him, I'd promised to tell him everything, but in that moment I decided that it wasn't worth it. Honesty aside, I couldn't tell him about this. I didn't care that I had promised him. For all I cared, I could have sworn on my life, but he would never hear the words "I love you" from my mouth. I could never hurt him, and I hated myself for my promises as much as I had ever hated any orc that threatened innocent life.

As the tears rolled down my cheeks, I wished I wasn't so weak, and I promised myself that this was the last time I would waste tears over my childish feelings.

It was in with these thoughts that I quietly cried myself into a restless slumber. It never occurred to me that, in a way, Tauriel and I faced similar dilemmas. She was unable to believe that she could find love in her home, and I was unable to believe that one of the people who had become my home could ever fall in love with me.

* * *

Tauriel walked away from Aria's cell, feeling just as confused as before the conversation. She had hoped that the dwarf maiden would have answers that she desperately needed, but Tauriel had found Aria to have as many questions as she did. At length, Tauriel found herself in the same place that she had been only minutes ago. The place where Legolas had stood hours in earlier that day. This time, Tauriel had nothing better to do, and only hesitated slightly before continuing towards her young captive's cell.

" _No, he's no more my captive than any of the others,"_ she thought to herself.

" _You were the one to catch him...you saved his life as well, he is more your prisoner than anyone else's,"_ an opposing voice in her mind answered.

" _Why does it even matter?"_ her voice of reason surfaced, and of her emotions, it won out.

While this inner monolog transpired, Tauriel had walked closer to the dwarf's cell, her quick eyes catching a movement between his palms as he tried to conceal something from her gaze. No matter, it was a good opportunity to stop and converse, so Tauriel took it.

She paused outside his cell and spoke in measured tones.

"The stone in your hand, what is it?" she asked.

His expression was much more stern than the one that had greeted her upon their previous meetings.

"It is a talisman," he replied darkly. "A powerful spell lies upon it, if any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed," he said, holding the offending stone out towards Tauriel, expression unchanging as she recoiled in surprise.

This was not the reception Tauriel had anticipated, nor the one she had hoped for. She drew away from his cell and turned to continue her patrol of the dungeons. She had begun to walk away when his voice drew her back.

"Or not," he said.

She stopped as soon as he spoke, turning to hear his words.

"Depending on whether you believe in that sort of thing, it's just a token," he said, offering a slight laugh at his own words.

Tauriel's stone expression softened at his return to friendliness, and she smiled at the thought of how easily she'd fallen for his tale.

"A runestone," he said, looking down at the polished token in his palm.

"My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise," he said, turning to face Tauriel again.

"What promise?" she asked, drawing nearer to his cell.

"That I would come back to her," he said.

Tauriel's smile faltered at the realization that it was her own fault that the dwarf was unable to fulfill this promise. She would've given anything to return to her parents.

"She worries," he explained. "She thinks I'm reckless," he said, tossing the stone into the air and catching it with a look that plainly said "I love my mother, but she's overreacting."

"Are you?" Tauriel asked, sensing that this dwarf was just as reckless as his mother supposed.

"Nah," he said, tossing the stone once more, but not quite catching it. The polished rock slid across the floor of his cell, intent upon throwing itself over the edge of the walkway until Tauriel's boot stopped it.

She had half a mind to tell the dwarf exactly how reckless she thought he was, but the stone took her mind elsewhere.

It's depths contained many a color, refined to a smooth finish by the work of no less than an artist. She picked it up and held it to the light, turning it over, intent upon complementing its owner when he spoke.

"Sounds like quite the party you're having up there," he said.

"It is Mereth Nuin Giliath, the feast of starlight," she replied wistfully. Sh was tempted to tell the dwarf that it was _her_ favorite feast day, but decided upon a less personal answer.

"All light is sacred to the Eldar, but wood elves love best the light of the stars," she said, gazing upwards towards the noises of merrymaking. Or maybe towards the ceiling; the only thing separating her from the brilliant patchwork of the night sky.

"I always thought it is a cold light," he began, and Tauriel turned to stare at him in wonder.

"Remote and far away," he finished.

Tauriel found it hard to believe that anyone could think as he did.

"It is memory," she corrected, stepping back towards his cell. "Precious and pure," she said. Realizing that her tone may have been overly critical, she softened, offering the dwarf another smile.

"Like your promise," she said, holding the runestone for him to take from her outstretched palm.

He hesitated, looking up finally, warm brown eyes meeting her's, with no pretense or hostility anywhere in them. When he took the stone, he looked away, but Tauriel still felt the warmth of his gaze. When their hands brushed together, Tauriel found the same warmth in his fingers. She had the momentary urge to slip her own fingers between his, locking their palms together, but didn't act on this. Instead, she spoke. His trusting manner inviting her to tell him something few others knew.

She turned away, gazing once more towards the sky she could not see, as she spoke. "I have walked there sometimes, beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and the white light of forever fill the air," she said.

There was a moment of silence in which Tauriel's own thoughts swept her away from that time and place, with only thoughts of her prisoner tethering her to the earth.

And then his voice was tugging her back.

"I saw a fire moon once," he said. Tauriel turned back to him. She had never seen anything remotely like a fire moon from the Woodland Realm and wanted very much to know what it was.

"It rose over the pass near Dunland, huge; red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, they were trading in silver work for furs," he began, and Tauriel sensed that this story might take some time, so she sat down on the step outside his cell.

"We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then, this huge fire moon, right in our path. I wish I could show you the caverns we stayed in that night, the walls were so smooth, that when the light of that moon hit them, they were set ablaze. We needed no fire that night, I can tell you," he said.

"So that is the light you love? The light of a fire that could burn an entire forest to the ground?" Tauriel asked, confused.

"No. The type of fire that keeps you warm on a cold winter's night in the mountains. The type of fire that you sit around, playing music with your family and friends after a good supper. The type of fire whose warmth you remember long after it's burned out," he said, smiling at the thought.

"So, we love the same light after all," Tauriel said slowly.

"I like to think we love the memories it brings us. For you, it may be a feast, for me, it may just be a cold night. All changed by light," he answered.

Tauriel found herself smiling at this thought more than she should have. The two easily slipped into conversation.

.

.

.

"I could never imagine what losing a parent must be like, let alone losing two." he said, frowning at the thought.

"I still can't believe it's happened. On that day, I vowed that no child within my power to protect should ever bear the pain that I did," Tauriel told him, voice much quieter than her usual tone.

.

.

.

"So, you're father was all for Freya learning to fight, but your mother refused?" Tauriel asked, after the dwarf had assured her that he had met other fighting lasses, and that his own sister sought to learn the art of combat.

"Does it really surprise you? This is the same dam that gave me a rock to carry around because she thought I'd forget the last words she spoke to me," he reminded her.

"Do you remember them?" Tauriel asked.

There was a pause in which the dwarf cast his eyes upwards, seeming to search the ceiling for inspiration. His eyes strayed to hers, and he laughed at his own forgetfulness.

"Not word for word, but she wanted me to come back, and that's all I really need to know," he said.

.

.

.

"And that is why some of the guards still pass me unsavory looks. None of them could abide the fact that an elleth had beaten them for the most coveted position in the king's guard," Tauriel explained.

"And at such a young age too. You were barely of age by the elven terms, were you not?" he asked.

"I was. I was also only the second elleth to hold the position," Tauriel said, smiling at her own accomplishment.

"Who was the first?" the dwarf asked.

"The queen of this realm. She died in battle many years ago, but the tales of her bravery linger," Tauriel said.

The conversation paused a moment out of respect for the fallen queen, and the silence was only broken when the dwarf looked up sharply, alert all of a sudden.

"What is it?" Tauriel asked, her own senses awakening to her surroundings.

"N-nothing. I could've sworn I heard footsteps," he said.

"It is just an echo. They are common here, and unhelpful at times, but if someone ever tried to invade or escape, we'd know soon," she said, pride for her homeland hinting in her tone.

"Well, that puts me in a tight spot," her prisoner laughed. She was beginning to forget about the bars between them and was surprised that he would allude to an escape so freely.

.

.

.

"The strangest thing has just occurred to me. We have spoken of so many things, yet I still don't know your name," Tauriel said, upon realizing this to be true.

"Dwarves don't give their children names. I thought everyone knew that," he told her, a solemn expression on his face.

Tauriel couldn't comprehend this.

Not name their children? How could that be? She stared at him incredulously for only a few seconds, before she recognized his expression as the same one he'd worn while telling her that his runestone was cursed.

"You take me for a fool, master dwarf," she said, smiling at her own gullibility.

"I take you for no such thing. And it's Kili, actually," he said.

Tauriel said the name over in her head, and decided that it was quite different from any she'd heard before, but that it was not wholly bad. Not at all.

"Well, I already know your name, so I suppose we're fully introduced now," said Kili.

"How do you know my name?" Tauriel asked.

"I have a friend who knows this sort of thing," Kili said, dismissively.

"Aria?" Tauriel asked.

"Yes. You two are acquainted, then?" he asked.

"Barely, but yes. We spoke minutes ago," Tauriel replied.

"I'm not sure it is just minutes anymore," said Kili, and Tauriel had to agree. It had been more than a couple of minutes since her conversation with the bushy haired dwarf maid.

.

.

.

"And, to make a long story short, Fili and I managed to lose two of the ponies. After we realized that three trolls had been responsible for the theft, we sent Bilbo to get them back. We realized that he was going to be caught, so I bolted back to the campsite to get the others."

.

.

.

We managed to kill all of the spiders, but we were finding pieces of web all over our uniforms for weeks. Since then, I fear the thought of having to clean that filth off of our armor has been the main motivation to destroy them," Tauriel said.

"But Thranduil won't let you kill them at their source?" Kili asked.

"No. We protect our borders, and our borders alone, never venturing out into the world," Tauriel said, remorse in her voice.

"You really have never been outside the forest?" Kili asked.

"Not once. Given a few more years of faithful service to Thranduil, and I intend to leave. For how long, I do not know, but I must see a little more of the world. After hundreds of years in a forest, I am well ready for a change," Tauriel told him. She surprised herself with her own words, for she had told none but Valaina of her plans.

.

.

.

"He's your brother?" she asked. This was news to Tauriel.

"I thought the rhyming names would have tipped you off, but I suppose that's just a dwarven custom," said Kili.

"It is not only a dwarven custom. It was foolhardy of me not to notice sooner. Forgive me, but you don't look much like your brother," she said.

"No forgiveness needed. We've heard that sort of thing more times than I can count."

.

.

.

A knock sounded far above their heads, and Tauriel stood.

"That's the new guard shift. I've got to let him into the cells," she said, gaze trained on the door above her head.

"And that means?" Kili asked.

"It means that we talked all night. I must go," she said, stepping away from his cell.

"Tauriel," he called her back.

"Yes?" she asked.

"It was...uh...it was a pleasure to have met you," he said, and for the first time, Tauriel saw his confidence waver.

"And you," she said, smiling as she inclined her head towards him. Then, her swift feet were carrying her away from Kili's cell, she had climbed the stairs, and let the somewhat drowsy guard into the antechamber. She didn't notice that the door had been unlocked long before she arrived.

"You look tired," she greeted him, glad he didn't notice her shortness of breath.

"I have just come from the celebration. I have barely slept since before the first day of feasting," he replied.

"These dwarves cannot escape our prisons. Go, get some sleep. I shall call for you in a few hours," Tauriel encouraged him.

"Thank you, Captain," he replied.

Tauriel nodded in return, and watched as the guard returned to the hall from whence he came. She leaned up against the wall of the antechamber, and sighed heavily. They had talked the entire night. The entire night. Tauriel couldn't remember the last time she had talked to anyone for that long...not even Legolas or Valaina.

There was something utterly trustworthy about him. Maybe it was his complete lack of pretense, maybe it was his infectious smile, or his ability to carry on a conversation with someone who had taken him prisoner, but Tauriel was sure that she could never look at dwarves the same way again.

How was it possible to misjudge an entire race of people before meeting a single one of them?

He hadn't done that. Tauriel had thrown him in a dungeon and prevented him from completing a journey that kept him away from the majority of his family, but he didn't seem to mind. Tauriel was determined never to make the mistake of prejudgment again. On a different note, she was also determined to take the night watch again.

Tauriel straightened herself and left the guardroom. Thoughts of her talk with Aria had faded to the background. Thoughts of her troubling dreams had all but disappeared.

Tauriel found herself, instead, occupied by the memory of a pair of soft brown eyes and a warm smile that had given an unexpected light to her entire evening.

* * *

I sat on my ledge, nearly driven mad by boredom and by the snores of several of my companions. After resolving to keep my final secret from Fili, I had cried quite a bit and then fallen into a discomforted doze.

I remembered that once, when I was twelve, I'd gotten five teeth pulled out of my head to make room for braces. They didn't administer general anesthesia for this type of surgery, so I was going to have to make do with "laughing gas" (which I can assure you makes tooth pulling no more funny than it sounds) and a drink of foul tasting liquid that was supposed to make me tired. Once I had downed the foul stuff, I was given a hospital bed, and told to do my best to fall asleep.

I could not.

The feeling of being trapped, waiting for something horrible that I knew was to come, made it impossible for me to truly rest. When the ordeal was over, my mouth ached and my memory was clouded, but I always remembered that I couldn't fall asleep.

Coming out of my doze in the dungeons of the Woodland Realm was no different. Well, the ache was of my sting wound on my back, instead of on my mouth, but other than that, the feeling was identical.

I tried for what seemed like hours, but the feeling that I was watched, and the feeling that I was unable to escape made it impossible to fall asleep.

That and one other thing.

Kili and Tauriel.

They had their encounter that I remembered well from the films, but after this, the film never showed their conversation ending. When I regained full consciousness and was awake enough to listen, I realized that they were still talking. They seemed to talk about every topic under the sun...actually, I distinctly remember mentioning the sun at some point too!

For the first couple of minutes listening, I enjoyed what I heard. I enjoyed, listened, learned, and practically fangirled (something I hadn't done in months) over their conversation.

Then those first minutes ended...and they kept talking, and they didn't stop for hours. I thought that surely there would be an awkward pause or two, my first conversations with the dwarves had certainly been that way, but no. The two just sat and talked for the entire night.

In the past three days, I had gotten almost no sleep, been to earth and back, gotten attacked by spiders, and been captured by elves. As much as I knew that I wouldn't be able to get much sleep in this place, I wanted a rest.

Maybe the thing that befuddled me most was the fact that Kili was the only other member of the company that had gone through all of the above-mentioned trials, and he didn't seem tired at all.

By the time a knock sounded at the door, and Tauriel and Kili bid each other farewell, I was annoyed.

I was in a foul mood, there were probably dark circles under my eyes that couldn't have been darker if they'd been painted on, and I was annoyed.

I didn't have to sit there for long before I was brought some consolation.

Thorin woke up.

An awake Thorin wasn't usually a consolation, but at the moment, it meant one less snoring dwarf.

Unfortunately, it also meant that Bilbo would be coming with the keys soon. Soon, my journey would take another unexpected turn, and this time, I would be all on my own.

 **Aria, No! You have to tell Fili you love him! Ugh, she never listens to me...stubborn valarindi that she is...could one of you please talk her out of that horrid idea?!**

 **Kili and Tauriel finally had a conversation! A reeeaaalllyyy llloooonnng conversation.**

 **Okay, time to bust some dwarves out of prison.**


	32. An escape for the ages

**let's break some dwarves out of jail! (For the most part)**

 ***Bonus question-what does the Chapter title mean? Review if you know...review if you don't know!**

 **Chapter 32**

Tauriel had entrusted the dungeon keys to a guard named Elros, and was making her way back to her chambers when she heard her name called.

"Tauriel!"

She spun around to see who had spoken, to find Valaina walking towards her.

"Good morning, Valaina," Tauriel greeted her friend.

"Indeed it is," said Valaina, approaching Tauriel. "However," Valaina continued, "I should think it will be quite a tired morning for some of us."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Tauriel said, the hint of a smile in her features.

"Calanon told me that you took the guard shift in the dungeons...All night," Valaina said.

"Oh, that. Well, um, yes. It was unknowingly done, but I did agree to take Calanon's night shift. I assure you, I am not tired. Not in the slightest," Tauriel said.

And it was the truth. She didn't feel the need for sleep any more than she had the night before. In fact, she felt rejuvenated and ready to face the day ahead.

"Not tired? Well in that case, you're the first person I've met who stayed up the entire night and didn't feel the effects," Valaina said incredulously.

"I was on guard duty. Everyone else was at a feast. Surely that must take more energy from you than simply watching prisoners," Tauriel reasoned.

"Quite the contrary. Most would be bored to sleep by a night on guard," Valaina said thoughtfully.

"Well, I suppose I had a lot to think about," Tauriel said wistfully.

"Hmmm. A lot to think about? Do you have a patrol this morning?" Valaina asked.

"No, after we cleared the spiders, the King thought it best to let the forest settle. We won't patrol again until tomorrow at dawn. Why do you ask?" Tauriel queried.

"Because Mirima, the young elleth that I apprenticed last autumn, went out into Mirkwood and brought me all manner of herbs that need sorting," Valaina said.

"Mirima's older than I am by several years, besides, are you are asking me to sort herbs? My days of servitude in the medical wing are long since over," Tauriel said, her distaste at the thought of the chore plain to see.

"Don't give me that look. I merely asked for your help as a trusted friend," Valaina said.

"Oh, alright. I have nothing else to occupy my time," Tauriel said.

The two headed back to the infirmary, a place that was usually unoccupied in this time of peace and health.

Once through the great oaken doors, Valaina showed Tauriel her task, and the two busied themselves readily, working at a great oak table that stood in the center of the room, with an aisle of beds garbed in crisp white sheets on either side.

All the beds were unoccupied, save for one. A perfectly healthy elf sat propped up on the coverlet, hair the color of snowdrop's petals hanging in a curtain over her face, shielding the book she was reading from view.

"Where did you go to, Valaina?" she asked, not bothering to raise her head.

"I went to find some help. That basket you brought back is a jumbled mess, and I've got enough on my plate without having to detangle feverfew from knotweed," Valaina said, gesturing to the basket sitting on the oak table, just in front of Tauriel.

The table held anything from herbs, to bandages, to young and careless patients being treated for a sprain or fracture. Today, it was a workspace. Strewn across it were piles of herbs, plants, and a pile of older specimens found only in the forest that Valaina was preparing to dry and send off to Esgaroth.

As much as she hated the study of medicine, Tauriel quite enjoyed the careful sorting of the jumbled basket of plants and herbs. After she and Valaina had fallen into the rhythm of the work, Tauriel began to hum a light-hearted tune.

"Oh, that's lovely!" Mirima exclaimed, raising her head from the book to stare at Tauriel, who hadn't even realized she'd been humming. At these words, she stopped abruptly. Tauriel had a pretty voice by elven standards, but she didn't often sing, and never did so unless others sung as well.

"No, don't stop. I said it was lovely. Is that not a compliment?" Mirima asked.

"Thank you, and yes, it is," Tauriel said.

She didn't continue to hum, but as she went back to work with a content smile on her face. Tauriel missed Valaina's suspicious look at her strange behavior. Work continued on for a while without interruption, until Valaina ventured a question.

"Did you speak with any of the prisoners, by chance?" she asked Tauriel.

"Yes, I did as a matter of fact," Tauriel answered.

"Did you receive the answers you desired?" Valaina asked.

"I did. He was very engaging," Tauriel answered absentmindedly.

"He?" Valaina asked skeptically.

"She. I intended to say she. After what _she_ told me last night, my views and opinions on the subject of marriage and love are unchanged," Tauriel said, hastily correcting herself.

Mirima took this opportunity to interject.

"Ooh, what are you two talking about?" she asked, happily. Tauriel turned to see that the elleth had looked up from her book to stare intently at them with her doe brown eyes. Mirima, with her tall willowy stature, light hair, and clear complexion, was considered by many to be the beauty of the Woodland Realm. She was considered by most to be the least sane. Mirima had come to the Realm several years ago, unaccompanied and unspoken for. She had gained a reputation as a dreamer with little wish for her life save to paint and sketch what she saw around her. Tauriel had never gotten to know her very well until the previous fall when Mirima had decided to learn something of medicine and become apprenticed to Valaina.

Even then, Tauriel hadn't had much reason to speak with the other elleth. She couldn't think of anything she might have in common with an absent-minded elf maid who spent her life drawing and painting the world instead of trying to change it.

"Unless Tauriel wishes to share it with you, what we are speaking of is none of your concern," Valaina said, amused at the eavesdropper.

"Well, you were both in earshot," Mirima responded, her voice sounding much like a song.

"And you seem to be feeling much better. Why don't you put the book down and join us in sorting," Valaina suggested.

"Oh, I've been feeling better since you left. I just got to such a lovely part of this book, and simply couldn't stop reading it. Besides, Adanion was unduly worried and I did not need to see you to begin with," Mirima said, her voice taking on a tone of exasperation when she came to mention Adanion.

"I don't understand," Tauriel said, turning a frown of confusion upon her friend, hoping Valaina could explain what Mirima was on about.

"Adanion brought her here this morning because she was feeling unwell and had vomited. I gave her a remedy, a book, and orders to rest until she was feeling better," Valaina explained to Tauriel. Turning to Mirima, she continued. "What I don't understand, is how you think your husband shouldn't worry over you," she said.

Mirima put the book down and stood from the bed, walking over to them, and spoke as she reached the table.

"Adanion shouldn't worry, because it's been happening for almost a week now. He noticed today but I've been able to hide it before because he's usually on guard duty in the morning and I always feel better an hour or two after I wake up," Mirima said, shrugging her shoulders in an impossibly graceful manner, and picking some herbs out of the basket, dropping them in the appropriate piles.

The three fell into silence once more, but before long, Tauriel spoke to Valaina.

"I mean it. I don't want to be held down, and I know I could never make my spouse happy if I were restless to leave, and if we had children, I could be assured of never seeing the world beyond the forest," she said.

Mirima stayed quiet this time, not interjecting as she had done before. It took Valaina some time to speak as well, and Tauriel saw a troubled look pass across her friend's face.

"Would it be so terrible a thing, never to travel?" Valaina asked.

"Yes, I long to see more of this world more than anything else," Tauriel said.

"In that case, I do not know what help I can offer you," Valaina said.

"Tell me what to watch out for," Tauriel said.

There was a long pause, before Valina asked, "you want me to help you guard your heart against love?"

"I suppose so," Tauriel said.

When Valaina answered, her voice was thick with emotion.

"I could never do that. To love and be loved in return is something that no one deserves to be robbed of. I could never take that away from you, which you have never experienced. I could never take from you the chance to be a mother and to have a true family," she said, voice thick with emotion.

Both of the younger elleths stared at Valaina wide-eyed, no one spoke a word.

"Besides, I've never been in love. I wouldn't know what to watch out for," Valaina amended quickly, as soon as she noticed Tauriel and Miriam's expressions.

Valaina seemed to straighten, taking a deep breath and speaking in a businesslike manner.

"Now, I'm going to fetch Adanion. Mirima, if I've guessed correctly, you have something to tell him...he doesn't know yet, does he?" she asked.

"No," Mirima said quietly.

"Why in Ilúvatar's name haven't you told him yet?" Valaina asked.

"I...I was frightened. What if something goes wrong and I disappoint him?" Mirima asked.

"Oh, this is unbelievable. I've befriended two of the most backward elf maids in Arda! One of you refuses to fall in love, and the other decides not to tell her husband she's expecting his child. Well, at least I can fix one of your problems. Mirima, stay here. I'll be back shortly," Valaina ranted, before setting her work on the oak table, and leaving the two elf maids standing in her wake.

Once the doors closed behind her, Tauriel continued her work.

"Why wouldn't you tell Adanion? He has told Legolas and I how much he should like a child, and I'm sure he's told _you_ more than either of us," Tauriel said, detangling some knotweed as she spoke.

Mirima brushed aside a pile of chamomile, and hoisted herself onto the table, swinging her legs back and forth once she was seated, causing her powder blue (and paint-stained) dress to flutter about her.

"When I lived in Rivendell, a couple I knew was expecting a child, but something went wrong. They never found out what it was, but the baby was stillborn. I've never seen anything so tragic and I don't want to get Adanion's hopes up," Mirima explained quietly.

"Miscarriages are so rare among our kind. The chance of that happening to your child is almost nonexistent," Tauriel pointed out.

"I know," Mirima sighed. "And that's why I'm going to tell him when he gets here," she resolved.

"Valaina hasn't given you a choice, you'll be telling him, whether you want to or not," Tauriel said calmly.

"Yes, and speaking of telling people things, I couldn't tell you how to avoid falling in love, but I could give you some signs that it's happening," Mirima offered.

"I'd appreciate anything at the moment," Tauriel said gratefully.

"Well, this might sound shallow, but often you notice looks first. You may see that the other is easy to talk to, has a good sense of humor, shares your likes and dislikes, but most of that is just the grounds for a good friendship. Falling in love happens after all that. On a physical level, I remember noticing things about Adanion that I wouldn't normally have noticed. His eyes, the color of his hair in the sun, the way he was taller than me, even though that's hard to find. You won't have that problem, seeing as you're shorter than many maids I know," Mirima pointed out.

"Yes, I know my height well, would you continue?" Tauriel asked.

"Mhmm. Next, I started wanting to be with him more and more often, and well, I started getting abnormally worried every time he'd go on a patrol, even before the spiders bothered us as they do now. It was on the same day that I realized I would gladly be killed by one of those spiders in his stead that I also realized I'd completely fallen in love with him. I don't quite know how to describe it, but it isn't something you can ignore, and it's the kind of thing you'll know when you feel," Mirima said.

Tauriel felt a shiver run up her spine. The explanation hadn't been as eloquent as the poetry or songs she'd heard, but it was helpful.

"Thank you. I don't recall learning why you left Rivendell," Tauriel said, mind drawn to another part of their conversation.

"I wanted adventure, I wanted a life, I wanted to paint all of Arda. I hated this place when I first came here. Not enough sky, not enough light, but you know, I found what I was looking for," she said, whispering this last part to Tauriel.

"You painted all of Arda?" Tauriel asked coolly.

"No, silly, I found a life. I found friends, and Adanion, and now I'm going to find out what it's like to be a mother. And I know you think I'm mad, everybody does, but I'm happy, and I want nothing less for you," she said smiling.

"I know what will make me happy," Tauriel said quietly, and she went back to work.

Valaina returned shortly, escorting a tall raven-haired elf, whose stoic features were traced with worry.

"Mirima, what is it? Valaina will not breathe a word to me, and I am beginning to think you ill in some way," Adanion said as the two newcomers reached the oak table. Mirima gave him a long and thoughtful look before hopping off the table and taking his hand, pulling him to the bed furthest to the back of the room, where she sat down, and patted the coverlet beside her, indicating that her husband should do the same. Tauriel wondered at the pair. Adanion had always been sensible and level headed, the complete opposite of his wife, and yet the two seemed so happy together.

Tauriel found herself remembering Mirima's eyes, widely considered the envy of Mirkwood, yet she had seen finer. She had seen russet brown eyes deeper, and full of more compassion than even Mirima's. Tauriel longed to see them again, but for a moment she could not remember who they belonged to. Then that moment passed and she remembered that they were Kili's eyes. She remembered and wished, even more, to return to the dungeons. She decided then, to return that very night, and wishing to give the expectant mother a chance to speak with her husband, Tauriel turned to Valaina and spoke in hushed tones.

"Are you alright, mellon? You seemed troubled at our parting," Tauriel observed.

"I am perfectly well, I assure you," Valaina said, offering Tauriel an unconvincing smile.

Tauriel nodded, and wished fervently that she could believe her friend.

The infirmary was soon filled with the laughter and joyous words of the expecting couple, but Tauriel found herself too preoccupied to notice this. She stared at Valaina with a puzzled look on her face. For she had noticed something that she never expected to see. Not on an elf, anyways.

Near Valaina's temple, fell a lock of gray hair. A sign of age.

* * *

In the dungeons, my mood was much the same, improved only by the awakening of the rest of my companions and the end of their incessant snoring.

The sounds of falling water, an occasional voice from above, or the rustle of one of my companions as they moved about their cells. Dwalin alternated impatient pacing with sullen arm-crossed sitting, Ori stood by his door, staring out at some fixed point in the hallway, Bofur concealed himself by sitting as far away from the door of his own cell as was physically possible, and Fili and Kili sat as close to their doors as possible, speaking to each other in odd bursts of quiet conversation that no one bothered listening to.

From my cell, the highest and corner most cell in the dungeons, I could watch all of this from the middle of my ledge without being seen by my companions. I didn't move forward or speak because I was hoping to be as far from their thoughts as I was from their sight. I was hoping that when the time came for Bilbo to snatch the keys and rescue the prisoners, I would simply be forgotten. It was a terrible plan, considering that the dwarves were bound to notice the absence of someone they'd been traveling with for months, but it was worth the try.

Every so often, one of my companions would glance upwards towards my cell, but I assume they thought me to still be asleep, because no one made eye contact, or tried to speak to me. After some time, even Fili and Kili fell silent, leaving only the noise of the falling water to fill our ears. I didn't move much, save to throw a glance down at Fili's cell every once in awhile. I had to keep reminding myself not to think about Filip or Fira. I tried to remind myself of the promise I had made the day before, both for his good and my own, but this was going to be harder than I thought.

My rest bite from the noise didn't last long before the complaining and speculating began, and I knew the escape drew near.

"I'll wager the sun is on the rise, it must be nearly dawn," Bofur speculated, voice devoid of hope.

"We're never gonna reach the mountain, are we," Ori said, defeatedly, in what was more of a statement then a question.

I saw Fili turn to look up at my cell as if to ask me whether this was true, but he slumped back against the wall when he didn't see me answering.

"Not stuck in here, you're not," said Bilbo, and I turned my head to see him jingling a ring of keys in front of Thorin's cell.

I saw the surprise radiating across Thorin's face, as well as Fili's, Kili's, and Dwalin's faces, followed by a happy shout from Balin.

"Bilbo!" he called, and the cells began to buzz with the dwarves' voices as they gained hope. Someone cheered, and Bilbo hushed them loudly.

"Shhh! There are guards near by," he warned, turning the key in the lock on Thorin's cell, and pulling the door open to release our leader. A quick look of gratitude passed between the two friends, and then Bilbo was off to release the next dwarf. As he released Balin, I saw Kili slipping something into his trouser pocket. I thought it to be the runestone, until I saw him take that too out of his coat pocket, leaving the heavy jacket behind altogether.

Bilbo freed Balin, Dwalin, and Kili, who was practically jumping up and down to be released from his own prison.

Amidst the shuffling of feet and the low voices, I stood from my ledge and moved to the back corner of my cell, where I sat crouched, hoping not to be noticed. I listened as cell doors opened, and hushed exclamations of relief were traded throughout the company.

"Ha ha ha, we're out then."

"Upstairs."

"You first."

"Ori."

Were all followed by one voice whose owner I could clearly identify.

"Not that way! Down here, follow me," said Bilbo, and I could just make out the clattering of his ring of keys as he led the dwarves down the stairs.

"Go."

"Easy now."

And "Shh," were the last words I heard from the company before they began their descent to the cellars.

I remembered that this was where the dungeon part of the escape scene ended in the film, and sighed in relief that it also seemed to be the end of my participation in the rescue.

Now, I had to plan my own escape. I knew that I could easily escape my cell by forming a hole in the stone. My only problem was the guards. Once I was out of my cell, there would be guards around every unfamiliar turn. That wasn't something I could plan for, so I decided not to worry about it. Now, the only question left was when to escape.

I was considering the best times for escapes such as this when I heard voices again. Just when I thought my plan to avoid rescue had succeeded, there were the voices that I had thought I'd not hear again for a long while.

"Wait, we're one short," hissed Kili's voice.

"No, I unlocked everyone's cell," Bilbo whispered back.

"He's right," said Thorin of all people. "Aria never left the dungeons," he finished.

"Bilbo, give me the keys, I'll go back for her," Fili's voice put in.

"Here," said Bilbo's voice, accompanied by the faint jingle of the keys.

"Be quick about it," Thorin's whisper urged.

"No," I moaned. Why? Because out of everyone in the company, Fili was the least likely to willfully leave me behind, and the most likely to convince me to come along despite my better judgment.

I leaned my head back against the rough-hewn wall, and waited as I heard Fili's hurried footsteps on the stairs into the dungeons, and then on the steps to my level of the prison.

"Aria," I heard his voice say as he summited the stairs.

"In here," I replied.

"You don't say," Fili said sarcastically. "Is there any chance you might like to join us?" he asked good-naturedly.

I looked up at him and tried to make my answer seem as calm as possible.

"I'm staying here," I said.

Fili frowned, and unlocked the door to my cell, opening it.

"That's unfortunate, now come on, we don't have much time," he said, walking into the cell and holding his hand out for me to take.

I hesitated before taking it, a shiver running up my spine at the feeling of his warm hand in mine. I knew I couldn't come, but he didn't understand that.

"Fili," I said, when I was standing, able to better look into his eyes. "I am not coming with you. I am staying here," I reiterated.

"Aria, Bilbo has a plan to get us all out of here. We'll be free and on our way to the mountain again, but not if you stay here," he said, and turned to lead me out of the cell, hand still holding mine.

I moved a few steps forward, unable to resist his strength, but I knew above anything else that I could not leave that cell with him! He thought I was joking, and I wasn't sure how to make him understand that I meant every word I said.

I did the only thing I could think of, and grabbed the front of his tunic, forcing him to turn back to me, and stopping our exit. What I hadn't intended to do was pull him so close.

When he turned sharply around, I found us bare inches apart, our hands still laced together. I felt my heartbeat quicken, and wished I could tell it to be quiet, for I was sure Fili could hear it as easily as I could.

My next words were hardly above a whisper. "There is no escape plan. Not for me. Bilbo's plan was only meant for fourteen. You are all needed for the events ahead, but I am not. I am the only candidate for this," I said.

"I'm not leaving you here. I refuse to let you leave us and put yourself in danger on behalf of this company again," he said, seeming at last to understand the situation.

 _I've got to tell him something to make him go!_ I thought to myself.

"Whether you refuse or not, you _will_ leave me behind. You _are_ going to leave with the rest of the company, and only thirteen dwarves leave this place with Bilbo today. That's not an order, that's a fact," I hissed.

"How do you know you can escape on your own?" Fili asked, raising his voice above a whisper, his tone taking on worry.

"Shh," I hushed him, pulling him slightly closer in an attempt to look over his shoulder. Once I affirmed that we were undiscovered, I returned my gaze back to him, realizing that he was much closer than I intended him to be.

"You...you have to trust me. I can get out of here on my own. Now, I know that isn't much to go on, but-"

"Aria, that's nothing to go on," he cut me off, something Fili never did, and I thought I felt his heart begin to speed up beneath the fistful of his tunic that I was still holding.

"Look, I'm going to be fine. I'm in here with elves. No orcs, no trolls, no goblins. I will not leave this place and you will, but I know where you're going, and I'll join you as soon as I can," I said.

"You don't know any of that for certain. Can you promise that you will come back?" he asked.

"I can't. All I can give you is a promise that I'll do my best," I said, looking into his eyes, and seeing the realization that I wasn't coming setting in. He stared at me hard for a moment, and I saw something in his expression that I hadn't seen before. He seemed troubled and nervous.

"There's a good chance that this is our last meeting," he said.

I just nodded, realizing how dry my mouth seemed to have become in the last few seconds.

"Then there's something I have to tell you," he said quickly.

"What's taking so long, Laddie?" I heard Balin's voice echoing up the stairs.

"We'll be along in a minute," Fili whisper-called in the direction of the stairs.

"I'm not-" I began.

"I know. I couldn't very well tell him that," Fili said to me, cracking a nervous smile.

"Speaking of telling people things," I probed, wanting him to go back to the company as soon as possible.

He just looked at me, a frown on his face.

"Sometime before Durin's day?" I asked shakily, seeing that he had just realized how close together we were standing, and I looked over his shoulder towards the passageway.

I was just about to turn my gaze back to him when I felt his free hand reach up to my face and tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I froze and felt a blush spreading across my cheeks.

"W-what was that for?" I asked, whispering not out of caution, but out of an inability to raise my voice any higher.

"It seems to help when you're nervous. Turns out it works for me too," Fili said, laughing dryly.

"You notice that?" I asked feeling absolutely mortified, barely wondering if he'd just complemented me.

"Among other things, yes," he said, as if unwilling to say what. Then he leaned in, and I closed my eyes as his lips brushed my cheek in much the same fashion as I had done the day before.

"You were awake the entire time Kili and I talked that morning in the forest," I said, not bothering to phrase it as a question, for I knew what his answer would be.

"Yes," he said almost apologetically. I understood his tone. This was what I had hoped to avoid by not telling him. More than the thought of being rejected, I hated that Fili was being hurt too.

"And?" I asked, wishing he would just be out with the rejection, get it over with, and leave.

"And, why in Durin's name did Kili know, before _me_?" he asked, tone sounding genuinely worried.

"I never told him, he guessed. He's been threatening to start calling me princess in front of you since the Carrock," I said, trying to laugh at this, but biting my lip when I couldn't muster a smile. I thought I felt Fili's chest tighten beneath my fist but still didn't think to release his tunic.

"Yes, he's been threatening me with the same punishment," Fili said quietly, and I noticed something in his countenance change. Was the lighting in the cell different, or were his eyes darker?

I just continued rambling. "And I would have told you, and I knew that you would feel terrible to reject me, but that you could never be expected to accept the hand of someone you had no feelings for. I didn't want to change the friendship we already had because you felt awkwar...hang on a minute. Why would Kili threaten you?" I asked, finally thinking about what he had just told me.

Laughed at my quick turn around, a sound that made my heart ache, but he seemed hesitant to answer, and I could feel his heart beating quickening to the same mile a minute pace as mine.

"For the same reason he threatened you," Fili said, solemnity returning to his tone.

I was sure I'd misunderstood him. "What?" I asked.

"Well, nearly the same reason. There is just one exception," here he paused, and I thought I knew what he was about to say. "You wish that our friendship remain unchanged, and well, my feelings are just the opposite," he said, taking a deep, steadying breath. I could now feel his heart beating as fast as mine, yet I didn't know why.

"I still don't-" I began. I had intended to tell him that I still didn't understand what he was talking about, but was cut short.

Fili let my hand go, putting his arm around my waist, burying his other hand in my curly hair, and pulling us together. Then he was kissing me, softly, and tenderly, and gradually I kissed him back. In those few seconds, I wanted to memorize the warmth of his lips against mine and the wave of giddy happiness that shot through me. My fingers releasing his tunic, and my hands intertwining behind his neck in a moment that was so perfect, I thought it to be a dream. I broke the kiss for but a moment, smiling at him in a way I never thought would be returned. The look on Fili's face mirrored mine but this time, it was I who leaned in to kiss him.

"Well it's about bloody time!" said a voice from behind us.

We broke apart, breathing erratic, and I saw Kili leaning casually in the doorway behind us.

"I'm not sure if either of you noticed, but we've got to break out of prison now. You can kiss later," Kili said, never having been one to mince words.

"Thorin says if you aren't pack in half a minute, he's sending Dwain up. Come on," he said, turning and leaving, a grin on his face.

"Go," I said quietly, realizing that the time had come to part.

"Aria," Fili said, speaking quickly. "By the laws of my people I shouldn't be the one saying this, but from what I know of your ways, it's perfectly alright for me to tell you that for some time now, I have found myself hopelessly in love with you, and I couldn't imagine continuing in life, let alone on this journey without you-" I cut him off mid-sentence, feeling my insides turned to a fiery strength that I had never felt before, and speaking just as quickly as he had.

"And by the laws of your people I have to be the one to tell you that I am in love with you and could spend whatever of my life I have left with no one but you," I took a deep breath before continuing on with words that (despite the kiss) I was afraid to speak. He had just told me something that no one, save my grandparents had ever said to me, and I was still having trouble believing my eyes and ears.

"I could not envision a life beside anyone but you...I could not envision finding a husband...in anyone but you. Assuming you'll have me," I said, taking the last part on as a wall to protect myself from his answer. From the answer that I had received for most of my life.

Fili took my left hand in both of his, kissing it.

"A question I should have asked you months ago," he said, quietly, the look on his face telling me everything I needed to know.

"A better question would be, do you really want Dwalin physically ejecting you from this dungeon?!" said Kili, rematerializing in the doorway.

"I'll be back with the company soon," I assured Fili, but he didn't answer me for a long time.

"Maybe sooner than you'd think," Fili said, and before I could ask him what he meant, he'd taken my pack from the ledge, and led me out into the passage behind Kili, closing my cell door behind me. Fili took the lead, still holding my hand, and I tried to get him to let me go back even as we descended the stairs away from my cell.

"This is insane. Fili, this is never going to work," I urged him.

"You probably said much the same thing to yourself the night before we left bag end, yet here we stand," Fili said.

"We're practically running, actually," I pointed out.

"True enough," said Kili from behind me. Fili laughed.

When we reached the top of the staircase down which the rest of the company waited, Fili asked me if I wanted my pack back, and I nodded that I did. He gave my hand a final squeeze, returned the pack, and then the three of us made our way back to the company. Thorin wanted Fili and Kili at the front of the line by Bilbo, and I walked in front of Bombur. It was impossible to go back, and though I knew that there would not be enough room for me after Bombur smashed his first barrel, there was no avoiding it now. I would have to face the river.

But this trial would be different than trials past. Why? Well, I had something that I didn't truly have last time. Something that terrified me more than the orcs we were about to face.

I had something to lose.

 **Sooo...Why is Valaina aging? Elves don't do that.**

 **Thoughts on Fili and Aria? (I know Kili had some)**

 **I really did try to convince Fili to leave Aria, but none of the characters listen to me:(**

 **There really aren't enough barrels, I counted them...twice! Buuut o** **kay, I guess we're all going for a barrel ride next chapter. It'll be just like a water park ride! Except with orc arrows instead of water jets falling on our heads.**


	33. Barrels out of bond

**It's been a while, but last week was absolutely hectic, and there was little time in which to publish. Alright, well, time to escape!**

 **Oh, and I decided to stick with the chapter name from the book, even though that was 9, and this will be 33.**

 **Chapter 33**

Hardly a noise was made, and not a single word was spoken as we descended into the cellars. When at last I saw the wine barrels over the heads of the dwarves in front of me, and I began to grow nervous. No chance of escape from the river now.

As we were lead further in, I began to hear the snores of elven guards, sleeping off a state of drunkenness brought on by the King's best Dorwinion wine. I took in the oaky scent of the cellars and wrinkled my nose. I'd never liked alcohol of any kind when I'd tried it back on earth, and one whiff of this place told me that I would dislike it no less here in Middle Earth.

"This way," Bilbo whispered urgently, beckoning us towards the stack of barrels that we were to make our getaway in.

"I don't believe it, we're in the cellars!" Kili hissed from the front of the line.

"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in," Bofur said with the same tone of disbelief and displeasure.

"I know what I'm doing!" Bilbo got out before Bofur hushed him loudly.

Bofur took the lead, and Bilbo stayed in place, beckoning each one of us past him until we all stood milling around in front of the barrels.

"Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!" Bilbo whispered to us as loud as he could.

"Are you mad? They'll find us," Dwalin hissed, confronting Bilbo.

"No. No, they won't, I promise you, but please, please, you must trust me!" Bilbo whispered to us urgently.

Dwalin turned away from Bilbo to look at the rest of us, and every dwarf around me began to whisper his own opinions on the subject. I stayed quiet, for I knew these  
doubts would be silenced in moments.

I saw Bilbo give Thorin a pleading look before our leader ordered us to do as the hobbit said.

Grabbing its rim, I hoisted myself, pack and all, into one of the barrels on the second layer of the stack. Around me, my companions did the same, some helping their companions into barrels, while others managed to get in on their own.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked, and everyone (accepting myself) stuck his head out to look at the hobbit.

"Hold your breath," Bilbo said.

"Hold my breath? What do you mean?" Bofur asked, and I heard Bilbo pull the lever.

The barrels began to roll, one by one, and try as I might, I couldn't brace myself against the sides. I too began to roll, bumping into other barrels, jolting downwards to hit the ramp, and then I felt the edge.

I was too scared to scream as my barrel fell through the air, hitting the water at last, and drenching me in ice cold water. I gasped for air as the breath was driven from my body, both by the impact and by the frigid water.

When I was once more able to concentrate, I found my barrel floating downstream along with the others. Ahead of me, Thorin braced both arms against the narrow walls, holding our barrels in place as we hit his one by one.

"Why are we stopping?" Dwalin asked.

"Headcount," said Thorin.

This statement went uncontested for only a moment before he began.

"I'm here, obviously. Next, Fili and Kili?" He asked.

The brothers each made themselves known, and Thorin continued.

"Balin, and Dwalin?"

"Ey." "Here."

Dori, Nori, Ori?" Thorin asked. He went on to call Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur.

"Aria?"

"Here, I think," I said quietly, shaking in the bitter cold brought on by the breeze against my soaking wet clothing.

"Good. And, Bilbo?" Thorin asked.

For a moment, there was no reply, but suddenly, we heard a creaking and turned, gazing upward to see the ramp descending once more, and depositing the poor hobbit into the water.

"I think there's your answer," I said.

"Indeed, it is," Thorin replied, and he closely followed it up with a "well done master Baggins," as Bilbo joined us, grasping onto the back of Nori's barrel.

Bilbo only grunted and waved us forward.

"Come on, let's go," said Thorin, releasing the walls, and turning in his barrel to face forward.

Our barrels began moving once more and felt dread welling up inside me. I knew there would be a drop of at least twenty feet over a waterfall ahead, and I wished I had remained in my cell. The confined space seemed for all the world like a cozy den from where I was standing...uh, floating.

Ahead of me, Thorin began to paddle in an effort to make his barrel go faster. The rest of us did no such thing, letting the current sweep us along until we saw light ahead.

I closed my eyes tight, not even wanting to see what lay ahead of us, but Thorin's shout of "hold on!" told me all I needed to know. I gripped the rim of the barrel with all the strength in my arms and took in a deep breath as I felt the wind on my face. I dug my nails into the wood of my barrel and clenched my jaw.

When the moment came, and we went over the edge, I screamed as my stomach swooped, and when I hit the water, I went under, my nose and mouth filling with frigid water.

I came up gasping and choking on swallowed water, registering the shouts of my companions and the sun overhead once more. I was blinded by its light, not having seen the sun for nearly five days. I rubbed the water from my eyes and held on tight as my barrel was swept along through the river, going over yet another drop.

This next drop was far shorter and didn't frighten me, but it did leave me gasping for air and coughing up water again.

It only then occurred to me that the dwarves around me weren't violently shivering as I was. Dwarves were far more rugged and well built than other beings, but not much of this seemed to be showing up in me. I'd gotten the height and the ears and that was it.

My frigid state only served to distract from my surroundings for a short while before my attention was returned to the river by the sound of a horn being blown.

"What is that?" Bofur, whose barrel was near mine, shouted to no one in particular.

"They're shutting the gates!" I called back, looking up to see Legolas hurrying from an overlook nearbye.

"What gates?" Bofur asked, just as our barrels rounded a bend in the river.

"Those gates!" I answered, pointing a shaking finger at the barred gates blocking our path some way up the river.

As we drew closer and closer to the gaping sluice, I prayed that somehow the gates would remain open. My prayers to the sky were denied, and as the call of the horn died on the wind, an elven sentry crossed to the huge lever above the gate and pulled it down.

"No!" I heard Thorin, yelling as the barred gates clanked shut, just ahead of his barrel.

"We're done for!" Ori yelled.

"Nearly!" I yelled back, as my barrel neared the shadow of the gate, knowing that our situation was about to become much worse.

* * *

Valaina had called for some celebratory wine to be brought to the infirmary, and Tauriel had opted to return to her chambers for a fresh change of clothes. Some minutes later, she, Tauriel, and Adanion were back in the infirmary, enjoying the wine, while Mirima was confined to icy water. The light haired elleth didn't seem to mind this, considering that she somewhat disliked wine, and hated every other type of alcohol. The four companions found themselves in good spirits, talking, laughing, and speculating over the gender of the coming child. Even the normally stoic Adanion was overjoyed at the coming happiness he and Mirima would share.

Tauriel was quite enjoying herself until her thoughts turned to little Ella. Her child. Well, the child she might have if she wished to be married. Tauriel hoped that the previous night's visit with the dwarf maiden would answer her questions and bring her a firm resolve, but she had left more confused than ever. The day before had been spent in determined resolve not to succumb to this, but now? Now her resolve was wavering and weakening, yet she could not place the reason why.

Tauriel decided to tell Kili about the dreams, for she was sure he would find them fascinating. The idea of having dreams concerning future love or future children must be totally foreign to him. Besides, he could tell her more about Fili and Aria. Fili was his brother, and Tauriel wanted to know all she could about the people in her dreams, especially since Aria seemed to know as much about the situation as she did.

Tauriel let the conversation drift through one ear and out the other, becoming lost in memories of the night before. She nearly laughed aloud at one recollection. Kili had been so surprised to find out that elves weren't vegetarians. He'd told her about their trip to Rivendell, and that the place had been beautiful, but the food could have been better if elves ate meat. When she'd told him that elves did eat meat, just only in small amounts, he'd gone on a comical tirade about elves indecency to foreign guests that had left her sides aching from laughter.

Tauriel was pulled back to the present abruptly.

"Do you know where the Captain is?!" asked a guard, the oak doors of the infirmary slamming open as he burst into the room.

"I'm here, what is it?" Tauriel asked, stepping away from the oaken table, and speaking in measured yet authoritative tones.

"The dungeons are emptied. The prisoners have fled," he reported.

Tauriel could barely believe what she was hearing. The dungeons of the Woodland Realm had not experienced an escape in all of her time there. In fact, Tauriel wasn't sure they had ever experienced so much as an attempt to escape.

"Captain, would you like me to accompany you?" Adanion asked, straightening.

"No, stay with your wife. There are others who can attend to these runaways," Tauriel ordered, before taking a spare hastening away from the infirmary with the guard, who happened to be Calanon, on her heels.

"What happened?" she asked, as the ran for the dungeons.

"We don't know, but all the cells were unlocked and there was no sign that the locks had been picked," he told Tauriel.

"None at all?" she asked, as they took the stairs down to the dungeons.

"None, my captain," Calanon said.

They reached the antechamber and Tauriel practically stormed into the dungeons.

"Where is the keeper of the keys?" she asked loudly, taking quick control of the situation before her.

"He was last seen in the cellars," one guard said.

"You, you, you and you there, follow me to the cellars," Tauriel said, ordering the remaining guards to search the passages surrounding the dungeons.

They hurried down the steps to the cellars, wasting no time in their search for the escapees.

Tauriel reached the cellars just in time to see the trapdoor commonly used to release barrels into the channel below shut. She quickly scanned the room, seeing that the only two beings in sight were the hungover cellar keeper, Gallion, as well as the elf that she had delegated to watch the keys. Neither of the two would have had time to pull that lever and return to the table.

"The dwarves have escaped. You alert the prince, and you there, call out the reserve guard. As for you two, follow me! Oh, and let me be quite clear, when you catch them, do not harm them. Not even if it makes the difference between capture and escape, " she ordered.

"But captain-" Calanon butted in.

"No! We are not orcs," Tauriel said before they hurried away to do her bidding.

"No, we are no orcs," Calanon agreed before they too hurried away from the dungeons. Tauriel assumed that she would be back shortly. She would be back, escorting the dwarves to their cells. She had to get them back, for the alternative was to unbearable to think about. Not that the King would be enraged at the loss of his prisoners, but that she would never see, or speak to, or laugh with Kili again. Tauriel tried to remind herself that she had known him for less than a day, but she quickly dismissed that thought. Maybe she had known him for a day, but in that day (and night) she had come to know him better than many of the guards that had patrolled with her for years. She saw so much of herself in his eyes, and yet, she also saw so much that she could never be. Natural ease and humor. Trust. Optimism. She wasn't ready to let that go so soon after finding it.

Tauriel would be successful in bringing the prisoners back. She had to be.

* * *

The elven guards ahead of us straightened and drew their swords in unison as more barrels bumped into the group, barred from going any further by the now closed gate.

Not more than a moment later an arrow came whizzing out of nowhere, hitting a guard in the back and killing him. He fell, barely missing Bofur and Bombur's barrels.

"Watch out! Those are orcs!" Bofur yelled out.

In his place stood a grotesque specimen of an orc. It was quickly joined by more of its pack, who began to cut down the guards before them with relish.

One such orc took its prey into the water, both falling from above, down between our barrels. Before we knew it, an orc jumped off the sluice with the intention of killing one of us!

He landed on Bofur's barrel and pushing them both under. Bofur resurfaced without the orc, and I glanced around, surveying the scene of mayhem before me. Orcs screamed unintelligible insults and battle cries, elves screamed mostly in pain of dying, and there we were at the mercy of it all. My barrel was just inside the overhang, pressed up against the right wall, protected, but only just.

"Gorid! Zib! Goridug!" came a harsh cracked shout.

"Aria?" shouted Kili, whose barrel was right next to mine.

"What is it?" I asked, over Thorin's shout for us all to get under the bridge.

"What is that?" he asked.

"I think he said slay them all," I said, giving Kili my best interpretation of the order.

"We've got to get out of here," Kili said.

I nodded absentmindedly, a thought having just struck me.

"Kili. Remember what I said on the way into the realm?" I asked.

"About the elve's sloppy security!" he exclaimed, remembering it.

I just nodded, and Kili scanned the bridge.

"I see it," he said, determination filling his eyes.

Before I could bid him good luck, I realized what I had just done. I had affected the story again. As Kili jumped from barrel to barrel, I knew that the only reason we would escape was that I'd tipped Kili off. If I hadn't tipped him off, he wouldn't be fighting his way up the steps to the lever, closer and closer to the arrow that would find its mark.

Fili, who saw his brother's path to the lever blocked both from back and front, threw a long orcish dirk he'd been using, immediately killing Kili's hind attacker, leaving him free to easily decapitate his remaining opponent.

This was it. I dug my nails into the rim of my barrel, hoping against hope.

Kili dispatched one more orc, clearing his path.

He ran forward and-

I gasped. The black arrow had come out of nowhere, hitting Kili's leg!

Fili yelled out for his brother as he staggered a step and fell on his back. I heard Thorin's realization of what had befallen his nephew, but neither of Kili's relatives could do anything to save him.

Tauriel, however, could.

I saw her arrow fall true, hitting an orc who sought to finish Kili off. This was followed closely by the elleth herself, who quickly and gracefully dispatched orc after orc along the riverbank.

I heard Bolg's order to kill her but knew that he would not be successful, especially not after Legolas's first arrow made an appearance in the fight.

The elven prince was followed by several guards in light fighting gear who quickly joined their captain in her fight against the foul beasts.

As all of this was happening around us, I saw Kili find the strength to haul himself forward and grab the lever, pulling it down before collapsing once more in agony.

The gates opened before us, sending barrel after barrel over the falls. I heard Kili give another groan of pain before pushing himself over the edge and pack into the barrel next to mine.

I think Fili might have shouted out for Kili just before he pushed himself over the ledge, but I was too worried to think about much more than the fact that I had caused Kili's injury. If I hadn't told him about the lever, he wouldn't have been shot.

I thought of nothing else, that is, until my barrel went over the next drop. I had to stop myself from shouting at the feeling of my stomach dropping. I had hated rides, roller coasters, and even plane turbulence all my life. The only exception remains that ride on the eagle, and the falls of that turbulent river, small though they might have been, were not to be added to that small list of exceptions.

Drop over fall over drop, we seemed to fly down the river, whisked along by the current, held tense by the bone-chilling water and the fear of death at the hands of our foul pursuers.

Ahead, I saw the river begin to tighten, shrinking, but moving no less quickly.

A branch hung out over our heads, and as the first barrels passed under it, I saw Thorin drive a stolen weapon through the throat of an orc attempting to jump onto one of our barrels. The orc dropped its weapon, and Thorin caught it, passing it back from dwarf to dwarf until it was caught by Fili, who used it to dispatch an orc who had come to close to his barrel.

From my barrel, I smiled weakly despite the cold and our predicament. He really was a very talented fighter, and now, he was _my_ very talented fighter.

"Oh pull yourself together, Aria," I said under my breath, still unable to suppress the smile.

The river had other plans for my mood, and we were thrust over another drop. That did manage to wipe the smile off of my face.

Ahead of me, several orcs had managed to run out onto a log that spanned the river.

As the first barrels passed underneath it, Thorin yelled out for the log to be cut and he and Dwalin managed the task quickly. I looked back, to see orcs falling into the water, and hoped that none of them could swim, but quickly turned forward when I heard Dwalin yelling out Bombur's name, and saw him toss the dwarf in question an ax. I looked around frantically for a way out of my barrel, for something to hold onto, even a branch. The unhappy fact remained that as Bombur was lifted out of the river by the tip of an orc's pike, and as his barrel spun through the air, I had to get out. If not, the portly dwarf would have no barrel to jump into at the end of his wild ride.

Bombur's bouncing barrel crossed the river on a log overhead, killing several orcs once it reached the other side.

"He's going to break that barrel!" yelled a voice on my near right.

I turned my head to see Fili's barrel only feet away from mine.

"Of course he's going to break it! That's why I wanted to stay behind. We don't have an extra!" I yelled over the current.

"Here, take my hand," Fili called, extending his hand.

"I can't reach!" I yelled, knowing that my arms were far too short.

"Then jump," Fili shouted.

"Are you insane?" I asked in desperation, eyes widening.

"No! Just jump," he called again.

I knew that we didn't have time for hesitation, heart in mouth, I gripped the lip of my barrel. I hoisted myself upwards, getting a foot on the lip, and jumped.

In the seconds that I was in the air, time seemed to slow down, the water rushing beneath me, the wind on my face.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the jump was over. Fili caught me easily and held on tight as I lifted my legs over the rim, and into his barrel.

Once I was safe inside, I wrapped my arms around Fili's waist for stability and looked towards the bank to see Bombur whirling in circles, brandishing a weapon in each hand, orcs falling on either side of him. Bombur paid no heed to the remnants of his barrel far behind, strewn across the bank behind him. With one final kill, he straightened and jumped into my now empty barrel.

Fili looked back to see what had happened and raised an eyebrow.

"That's why you were going to stay behind?" he asked.

"Stop," I said, seeing the teasing glint in his eyes.

Fili turned back to the front of our barrel just before we went over another drop that I hadn't seen coming. I gripped his waist so tightly I was sure I'd leave a bruise, but it was over in a moment, and we were doused in freezing cold water once more as we reached the bottom.  
It was then that I saw Legolas. The elf prince was running along the bank some ways behind us, and then he jumped out over the water, landing on the heads of Dori and Dwalin.

I lost sight of him as a boulder hanging over the bank blocked our view. When I caught sight of him once more, Legolas was using an orc to slide down part of the bank before jumping once more onto the head of a dwarf whose identity I could not make out. I found the entire use of the dwarves as stepping stones incredibly funny until Legolas jumped from Kili's head to the opposite bank.

"He's injured, you arse!" I yelled back at the elf as Kili grimaced in pain.

"Aria, what-"

"He jumped on Kili's head!" I exclaimed, cutting Fili off mid-sentence.

Before Fili could answer, we went over one final drop, this one far smaller than the last, cutting off any further conversation.

The orcs began to fall behind us as we went further downstream. The white water began to calm. The elves gave up all attempts to recapture us.

I laughed tiredly as our hunters fell out of sight.

"I didn't know Bombur had that in him back there," I said to Fili.

"Yes, my uncle can be very surprising when he wants to be," Fili replied.

"Uncle? He's your uncle?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, can we talk later?" he asked.

"Why? What is it? I asked him.

"I don't feel very well. And I swear, I'll never eat another apple as long as I live," he said.

"I forgot about that," I said, and we lapsed into silence.

I took a deep breath, smelling the strong scent of the apple cider that had once filled our barrel.

I loved it.

 **Looks like Tauriel's already favoring Kili. It'll be a shock when she realizes just how badly he's hurt.**

 **It's a good thing Fili was able to catch Aria, and Bombur was able to take her barrel.**

 **Wait. What? Bombur is Fili and Kili's uncle? But he's not part of the line of Durin, how does that work?**

 **Gee, Legolas, what a jerk. Jumping on an injured dwarf's head like that.**

 **Annnd they're off to lake town. They'll just have to find a way across the lake. Do you know anyone who might help them?**


	34. Hasty takeoffs and hard landings

**This chapter's a bit of everything...Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 34**

"I'm going after them."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't have a choice."

"You cannot go after them, they're long gone."

"She's my daughter!"

"Yes, and she left in a snowstorm in the dead of night. I'm sorry Findrir, but there are seven paths out of Ered Luin and we don't know which one they took! I refuse to let you go out there looking when you could traverse the whole of middle earth without seeing them," said Dis, nearly whispering the last part.

She sagged slightly against the armory wall, taking a deep shuddering breath. Findrir didn't remember ever seeing his wife this distressed. He'd seen her in terrible pain, but even in labor or after being wounded in battle, she'd been in control of the situation. Now she was worried, hesitant, and had insisted on searching everywhere twice for the two runaways. This was now the couple's third visit to the training rings armory.

Findrir put down the shield he had been holding and crossed the room to stand in front of his wife, putting both hands on her shoulders and speaking to her quietly.

"What kind of a father would I be to let Freya leave home and not go after her?"

Dis said nothing but bowed her head in utter defeat. Findrir's heart sank even further at Dis's expression and he tried to take her into a comforting embrace, but she ducked out of his arms.

"Dis what-"

"What is this?" she asked, sinking to the floor and picking up a long piece of heavy parchment that lay near the door.

"I don't know, but it looks to have been ripped," said Findrir as she straightened, the parchment in her hands.

"It's only a map," she sighed, turning it over to reveal the southern portion of Middle Earth laid out before them in blue ink.

"I thought maybe they'd written a note," she said, shaking her head.

"Freya might not think to do that, wild lass that she is," Findrir said.

"But we didn't notice this before. Maybe we haven't been thorough enough. What if we looked through the marketplace again. They might have hidden in the baker's house or the smithy," Dis said hopefully.

"I doubt that. When last we searched here we weren't looking at the floor much. Besides, Freya's temper isn't that hot. If she was only at the smithy then she would have returned home by now, or Gimli would have convinced her. We had better return home. You haven't eaten anything since-"

"Do I look hungry? Have I not more to worry about than food?" Dis lashed out.

Findrir was about to respond when his wife cast the map to the floor. "Who rips a map in half anyway?" she asked, not really looking as if she wanted an answer.

"I don't know, someone who didn't want the other half," Findrir said. His comment went unanswered.

He thought for a moment, before realizing something else.

"Someone traveling light, leaving in a hurry, and not needing the other half," he said picking the map up from where Dis had dropped it.

"This wasn't here when I cleaned up last night. Dis, I think this is our runaways," he said, studying the map.

"That doesn't make an inch of sense," Dis said. "And why on earth would you think the owner had left in a hurry?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Because they left it on the floor. They left the half that they didn't need on the floor and then they took off," he said. "They took only the most northern part with them. Freya and Gimli took the mountain pass," Findrir said, his voice strengthened with the realization.

"She went after her brothers. She wouldn't have gone north. There's nothing through the mountain pass," Dis said, shaking her head for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Maybe you're righ-" Findrir trailed off, frowning.

"What is it?" Dis asked speculatively. Findrir had never lost anyone he was close too. While her grandfather and younger brother had died in battle, her father had gone missing, and her mother died of grief, none of her husband's family had left middle earth. He remained optimistic that life would prevail over death, while Dis's eyes had been open to loss long ago. She wanted to be optimistic, but couldn't bear to hope only to be let down again.

"Dain," Findrir said.

"What do you mean, Dain?" Dis asked.

"The iron hills are on the other side of that pass, Dis, we have to go home," Findrir said, excitement rising in his voice.

With that, he opened the door and hurried out, leaving Dis had put to keep up with him.

"She is a genius, gets it from me," Findrir said, turning his head to speak to Dis as she followed him up the steep mountain path.

"Findrir, stop and tell me what you're going on about this instant," Dis said, still unable to completely catch up to her husband.

"We can't stop here, not if we want to catch them in time," Findrir responded, increasing his pace.

"Findrir," Dis said again, her voice taking on a tone of authority that she rarely used with anyone in her family, "I order you to stop this instant!"

"I'm your husband," he said, stopping and turning to face her so quickly that she nearly bumped into him.

Her hands went to her hips.

"And I outrank you," she said.

"You're in exile," said Findrir in mock refusal.

"But still the daughter of the last king under the mountain," she said, her temper beginning to wain.

"Very well, Princess," he said to her with a fair amount of sarcasm in his voice.

"Our daughter had every intention of following her uncles, brothers, and assorted distant relatives on that quest. She must have realized that she didn't know what route they had taken to the mountain and that the odds of finding them were not in her favor. If she and Gimli took the other half of this map, and they did, then they realized that when the company reaches the mountain, Dain will find out. If they encounter resistance, Dain will aid his cousin, and Freya and Gimli have themselves a personal escort to the Lonely Mountain," Findrir said.

Dis stared at him for a moment before walking past him and taking the lead. After a pause, Findrir followed her up the path.

"Well?" he asked, as she stormed her way up the path towards their house.

"You might be right," Dis said from ahead.

"Thought so," Findrir said, self-satisfaction radiating in his voice. They would have his daughter home in no time, and if they took the chariot, they might even be home by dinner time. Crisis averted.

"No, I spoke in haste," said Dis.

"Why is that?" Findrir asked.

"Because you got one thing wrong," Dis said.

"And what is that?" Findrir asked, good humor returning to his voice.

"Any intelligence, genius or not, that that child possesses, she gets from me," Dis said, and Findrir admitted (though not aloud) that this was true.

The two reached their house at length and began to silently prepare to leave, collecting supplies for the short time they would be away from various places around the house. If anyone had entered the house and observed them at their work, they would have found it uncanny. The duo worked as a well oiled machine, knowing what needed to be done and doing it without a word between them, sometimes tossing things to one another between rooms, and once even a glance and a nod between the two conveyed a task which was quickly performed. They worked best that way, knowing the other well enough to do so, and were closing the door to the house less than five minutes after entering.

Upon arrival at the stables, Dis made for the saddle rack, but Findrir's voice stopped her.

"We don't need saddles for the chariot," he said.

"The chariot? Oh no. We are not taking that hundred-year-old piece of rubbish you call a chariot anywhere," Dis said adamantly.

"What do you mean, rubbish? She's incredibly well cared for," Findrir said, amazed that anyone would call his chariot "rubbish."

" _She_ is an it. _I_ _t_ is staying here. It would be Durin's day before we found them if we went in that thing," Dis said.

"As you wish, your highness. Goat back it is," said Findrir, following his wife to the saddle rack. She had been under enough stress for one day, and he decided that they could argue the finer points of his beloved chariot when they got Freya and Gimli home.

When he reached the saddle rack, Dis nudged his arm.

"You're never going to stop with the titles, are you?" she asked quietly.

"Never, your ladyship," Findrir said, throwing a roguish wink at her as he took both of their saddles towards the goat stalls.

Dis paused for a moment before following him. Her husband's station before their marriage had been nowhere near her own, even though she had been in exile when they married. Despite this, Findrir had never seemed to care about rank, and never acknowledged the fact of her birthright until their engagement. Since then, calling her princess, or your highness, or any other title befitting the daughter of a king, had become usual for her husband.

It annoyed her, got under her skin even, but the two had quarreled and though in different ways since the day of their meeting, and this was Findrir's way of telling his strong-willed wife that she was the world to him even when they were arguing.

Minutes later, Findrir had helped Dis onto her goat and they left Ered Luin in Denola's capable hands.

They were heading up the North road, deeper into the mountains and towards the pass, when Findrir spoke.

"We'll have her home by nightfall, Amrâlimê. Don't worry."

Dis offered him a subdued smile.

"I know. I don't worry about her. She hasn't strayed far from us yet," Dis said.

"But," Findrir prodded, knowing there was more Dis wanted to say.

"But what if she was right?" Dis asked.

"Right about what?" Findrir queried.

"The boys, Fin. I want them back. They aren't old enough for this," Dis said.

"If memory serves me correctly, I was Kili's age when we were married. They are of age, and we cannot stop them from fulfilling their duty to their people and to their family. Freya, on the other hand, is still years awa-"

"I know. I know that they are old enough to leave, that isn't why I wish them to return," Dis said, cutting him off.

"Then what is it?" Findrir asked.

"If they don't...make it back...if they don't live through this, then that's it. That's all of this world that they experience. Eighty two or seventy-seven years is not enough time. Yes, we married at the time of life they are in now. Fin, we are the people we are today because of the years we have spent together and because of our children. What if we've taken those years from our sons by letting them go off on that hairbrained quest that my brother put together?" she asked.

"Thorin knew what he-" Findrir began, but Dis broke in once more.

"And what kind of person would I be if I never met you?" she asked.

"A bored one," Findrir said, trying to lighten his wife's outlook.

Dis smiled slightly. "That's true," she said quietly.

"I hope the both of them are able to love another before their time comes. Even if they are young," Dis said, her thoughts traveling far away from the moment she was confined to.

"Just last night you were worried that would happen. Why the sudden change?" Findrir asked.

"Who can say? Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible if one of them fell in love," Dis said absentmindedly. Turning back to Findrir, she continued.

"From what I remember of the experience, it wasn't wholly terrible," she said, smiling at him.

"I love you too," Findrir said, and they continued on their way, moods improved, but the worries of parents still preoccupying them both.

Little did they know they would be spending more time away from Ered Luin than either had prepared for.

Much more time.

* * *

Several months later and far far away, I was experiencing a very different set of worries.

The first was the slowing current.

The second was my falling body temperature.

The turbulent and bumpy ride down the river had left the barrel that Fili and I shared damaged. Water had begun to seep in when the current slowed, and now my blue converse shoes were well beneath the water, and I was wondering just how my feet hadn't fallen off yet.

The breeze blew freezing air onto my wet clothing, and as we drifted down the river I tried to think of anything besides my shivering body and the pack of thirty or so orcs on our tail.

The perfect diversion came in the form of Thorin's voice some ways behind us.

"Anything behind us?" he asked.

"Not that I can see," Balin's voice responded.

"I think we've outrun the orcs," Bofur said.

"Not for long. We've lost the current," said Thorin, stating the obvious problem.

"Bofur is half drownd," said Dwalin, and though I couldn't see Bombur very well, even after turning my head, I had no trouble believing it.

"Make for the shore! Come on, let's go!" Thorin ordered.

After this exchange, the river fell once more into tense silence. We all knew the danger that followed us, and no one was in a talkative mood.

I moved forward in the barrel so that Fili and I stood side by side. After Thorin's order, we leaned forward and began to paddle moving our barrel, he doing most of the work and I trying to steer us around the next bend and towards the shore. The next couple of minutes seemed to stretch on into a cold eternity, and I was beginning to hear the sounds of imaginary orcs behind us when we made it to the shallows. We were among the first to reach the shallows.

"It might be easier to pull the barrel in if one of us got out," Fili said, turning to look at me.

"Do you think you could lift me?" I asked.

"Yes," he said quietly, looking over his shoulder wearily.

"They won't catch us," I said glancing back towards Thranduil's retreating domain.

He nodded, but the tense look on his face remained. A glance around at our companions showed that we were all as visibly tense as Fili.

Fili steadied me as I got one foot up on the rim of the barrel and hoisted myself over the side. I jumped, but landed awkwardly and fell on my hands and knees in the shallows, gasping for air as the cold water drove the breath from my body and the rocky river bed dug into my hands.

"Are you alright?" Fili asked as I got shakily to my feet.

"I'm alright. Do you want help?" I asked. In my mind, I was far from alright.

"No, I'll be fine, just get out of the water. Find Kili," he said, before tipping the barrel sideways and pulling himself out of it.

I nodded and splashed my way out of the water, climbing up the rocky bank until I saw Kili and froze.

He unsteadily extracted himself from his barrel and stumbled up the bank, before dropping to his hands and knees. I started towards him, but heard a noise behind me and turned to see that Balin had slipped on his way up the bank.

I turned to help the aging dwarf to his feet, and by the time he had thanked me for what assistance I could provide, Fili had reached his brother.

"On your feet," said Thorin, striding past Fili and Kili.

"Kili's wounded, his leg needs binding," Fili said, casting a worried look at his brother's injury.

"There's an orc pack on our tail; we keep moving," Thorin ordered.

"To where?" Balin asked, walking past me to confront Thorin.

"To the mountain; we're so close," Bilbo put in. It amazed me to think how much he'd changed over our journey.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it," Balin pointed out, ever the voice of reason.

"So then we go round," Bilbo countered.

"The orcs will run us down, sure as daylight. We have no way to defend ourselves," Dwalin said, the shadow of his words casting doubt upon the hobbit's optimism.

"Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes," Thorin ordered Fili, passing him to stare in the direction from which we had come. The approaching orc pack weighing on his thoughts...or so I assumed. Was it too early for the dragon sickness to be setting in? As Bilbo said, we were _so close_ to the mountain.

I stared at him, my mind running off into scenarios in which I too was capable of catching dragon sickness. Could I? Surely not, I wasn't even a dwarf...not really.

"Yes?" Thorin asked, noticing my absentminded stare.

"Oh, um, it's nothing...just lost in thought," I said.

"I see. I never did thank you for your concealment of our quest from that elf," he said, nodding his head curtly.

"It wasn't my secret to give away," I said by way of reply.

"Those are very different sentiments from those you expressed outside of Bag End on the night of our meeting," Thorin speculated.

"I never would have told anyone about the quest. But it was my only bargaining chip, and I knew I had to play it if I wanted to come along," I said.

"Bargaining chip or none, you-" Thorin began, but stopped mid-sentence, as if sensing the change of mood on the outcropping. Before I could turn to see where his gaze had fallen, I heard zipping sound and a thud, followed by Dwalin's growl, another zip, and an echo as a rock hit the ground.

I whirled around just in time to see Bard the bowman say "do it again, and you're dead."

There was a pause before Balin seemed to notice the large barge docked nearby and began to engage Bard in conversation. "Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

Bard lowered his bow.

"Move your barrels to the dock," said Thorin, who was now by Bilbo's side.

Everyone did so without complaint, climbing down the outcropping and retrieving their barrels, bringing them round to the dock.

"I've got this, don't worry about it," said Fili as I made to assist him with our barrel.

"It's fine, I can lift," I said.

Fili nodded. "Yes, but so could I. Would you help Kili?" he asked.

"Yes," I said quietly, turning my head to look for Kili, finding him struggling further down the bank.

I picked over the rocks and boulders, reaching Kili, and picking up one side of his barrel.

"You don't have to do that. I can manage," said Kili.

"Drop the act. We both know that isn't true. You're in more pain than you're letting on, and the less weight you put on that leg the better," I said firmly.

"It's fine, really," he said.

I wanted to believe him, but he didn't protest my assistance, and it was hard to miss the grimace on his face as we hauled the barrel over to the dock, setting it down before Bard's barge.

Kili's jaw tightened as he attempted to step away from the dock.

"Here, lean on me," I said.

"No, it's an arrow wound, I haven't been stabbed through the chest. I just need a quick rest," he said, liming over to a ledge, and propping himself against it.

Sometime later, Fili had joined us at the ledge, and I had begun to pace back and forth in front of them as Bard began to load the barrels one by one onto his barge.

"What is it? Are they catching up?" Fili asked, seeing my expression.  
I turned to make sure that no one but Fili and Kili heard my answer.

"I don't think so, but this is taking too long. Couldn't we help him load the barrels onto that barge of his?" I asked in exasperation.

"He hasn't offered us a deal yet. Helping him any further would be pushing ourselves on him. He might take offense at that," Fili said.

"Hang on a second, we're not helping...because we need to be diplomatic. What about the thirty orcs on our tail?" I hissed.

"That's exactly why we aren't moving so quickly. If he pulled off in that barge without us we'd be done for," Fili said.

I nodded before responding.

"So we're just going to wait?"

"Yes," Fili said.

"That isn't good enough. Excuse me a moment," I said, more for theatrical effect then out of actual politeness.

I stepped away from them, walking towards the barge, stopping when I stood just behind Balin. Stepping to his left, I spoke loudly enough for Bard to hear.

"Look, Bar...uh...bargeman, we need a ride across that lake. You have a boat, and we're willing to pay," I said, earning a somewhat shocked look from Balin and a grumble about money from Gloin.

"What makes you think I will help you?" Bard replied, rolling another barrel onto the barge as Balin ushered me behind him with a "hush."

"Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?" Balin asked. I had to admit, that was tactful. The question would surely soften Bard's resolve against us.

"A boy and two girls," The bargeman answered.

"And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty," Balin continued.

I mentally facepalmed, remembering Bard's answer only seconds before he spoke it. "Aye. She was." I frowned. I remembered Bard addressing this remark to Balin. In actuality, he looked over Balin's head and back towards the woods.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Balin began, but his voice was drowned out by Dwalin whispering loudly to Thorin.

"Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties," he said.

"What's your hurry?" Bard asked, ceasing his work.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin asked gruffly.

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands," Bard replied evenly.

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills," Balin claimed. It was a good alibi, but I could tell from the look on his face that Bard wasn't buying it for a second.

"Simple merchants, you say?" he asked.

There was a pause before Thorin cut to the chase and made our request. "We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" he asked.

Bard surveyed the barrels, examining the various dents and nicks they received during our fight with the orcs and the rest of our ride down the river.

"I know where these barrels came from," he informed us.

"What of it?" Thorin asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil," said Bard, before boarding his barge and tossing Balin the ropes.

In desperation, Thorin mouthed something to Balin that looked like "Offer him more."

Balin grunted in return before speaking. "I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen," he said.

"Aye. But for that, you will need a smuggler," Bard replied.

"For which we will pay double," Dwalin said.

Bard froze, seeming to contemplate the deal for a moment.

"Very well, then," Bard agreed, and we began to board the barge.

I positioned myself near the edge of the barge, resting my arms on the railing. As Fili and Kili boarded, Kili whispered something in my ear.

"Nicely done, your highness," he said.

"Shut up," and "Kili!" were the responses Fili and I shot back at him.

"What? Let me have my fun while it lasts. This blasted leg may kill me," he said, trying to make light of the situation. I tried to laugh along with the two brothers, but the knowledge of just how right he was kept me from any sort of real amusement.

We pulled away from the dock, dread began to fill my stomach. This was it. No more scenic rides. No more camps. No more jokes around the campfire. No time for romance. No rest. Not until this was all over.

Be the end good or bad, this was happening.

* * *

Tauriel stood surveying the filthy orc before her, her king's words in her ears, heard but not listened to.

"Such is the nature of evil. Out there in the vast ignorance of the world, it festers and spreads, a shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So it ever was; so will it always be. In time, all foul things come forth," Thranduil said.

It took every inch of self-restraint in Tauriel's body to stand where she was, to not run the prisoner before her through with a dagger. She had wanted to kill the thing as soon as she encountered it trying to shoot Legolas, but thanks to her prince, the worthless wretch was now dirtying the floor with its disgusting knees.

She had never seen the orc pack that raided her home and killed her parents, but every orc was the same, and just looking at this one made Tauriel itch to reach for her dagger.

Tauriel's attention only returned when Legolas spoke. Questioning the orc as he held a dagger to its throat.

"You were tracking a company of thirteen dwarves. Why?" he asked.

The orc looked directly at her before speaking. She hated his voice from the first word he spoke.

"Not thirteen; not anymore. The young one, the black-haired archer, we stuck him with a Morgul shaft. The poison's in his blood. He'll be choking on it soon," the thing said.

Tauriel digested the information, dread welling up inside her. A fear unlike any she had experienced in years. He was dying. Painfully.

"Answer the question, filth," Tauriel said, trying to keep the anger in her tone at bay.

"Sha hakhtiz khunai-go, Golgi!" The orc shouted.

Tauriel didn't know much black speech, but she caught the word dog and realized that the thing had the nerve to insult her. Tauriel drew her knife, intent upon threatening the orc.

Legolas jostled the orc and gave it a warning.

"I would not antagonize her," he said, and Tauriel mentally agreed with him. She clenched her dagger, but could not remain still any longer.

"You like killing things, orc? You like death? Then let me give it to you!" She snarled closing the distance separating her from the orc in a flash and striking at it. She halted mid swing as she heard Thranduil command her to do so.

"Farn!"

She froze, inches from its grotesque face.

"Tauriel, ego! Gwao hi."

She straightened. Her king had ordered her to leave immediately. She regained her composure and did so without protest, but as she descended the stairs away from the kings dais, and strode down the walkway towards the double doors, she made a plan.

It wasn't very intelligent plan, nor was it well thought through, but this time she wasn't going to sit behind their walls while others were left to fight and die in battles that were rightfully hers. Elleth or not, she was a wood elf. Cowardice was not in her blood.

Her quick strides threatened to break into running as she made her way through the corridors towards her chambers.

Once the door to her apartments was shut behind her, she made the quickest clothing change of her life, donning an outfit that was much lighter and much better for quictravelingng. She grabbed her bow from where she had discarded it after the escape and left, not bothering to look back. For how could she know that she would never see those chambers again.

"Tauriel, I came to see if the rumors were true. Did the prisoners really escape?" said Valaina, approaching her from one of the many passageways leading to the guard quarters.

"Yes, but Valaina, I can't stop now, I'm in a hurry," she said as her friend approached her.

"I know, I saw you pass on your way here. Now I know the rumors are true, may I hazard a guess as to where you are going?" Valaina asked.

"If you believe that I intend to recapture them, you are mistaken," Tauriel said, turning to walk away.

"No, I do not. I do think you intend to chase their attackers. You've always had more than enough cause to hate the orcs," Valaina said, following her.

"You're not wrong, but there is something I must do first. One of the dwarves was fatally injured. I would save him if I am able," she said.

"Your skills as a healer-"

"Will suffice. They will have to, unless...Valaina, come with me," Tauriel said, cutting the other elleth off.

"You know I cannot. I have not been permitted to leave this kingdom in eight years. However, if the leader of that company is indeed Thorin Oakenshield, and they intend to make for the mountain, then there is only one place they will go.

"And that is?" Tauriel asked.

"Esgaroth. It is a complex maze of homes, shops, and lately spies. There is a man there, a toll guard named Percy, he sees all that enters that town, and if the dwarves are there he will know their whereabouts," Valaina said.

"Thank you, mellon. Is there anything else?" Tauriel asked.

"Yes. I passed Legolas on his way to the guard room. When asked, he told me he had orders to double the guard and close the exits. You'll want to hurry," Valaina said.

"I'll go through a side exit," Tauriel told her.

"They are already being shut. No, your best chance is the main gate," Valaina said.

"Then the main gate it shall be," Tauriel said as they reached the end of the residential passage.

"Oh, and Tauriel?" Valaina asked, stopping her friend before she could step into the main hall.

"Yes?" Tauriel prompted.

"When you reach Lake Town...will...never mind. Good luck, and may Eru speed your way," she said, giving Tauriel a slight push into the hallway.

Once there, Tauriel could not turn to ask what her friend meant, so instead, she turned and made for the main gates. Once she reached them, she didn't hesitate to order them opened and walk through them, greeting the morning sunlight on the other side. Once she had crossed the bridge, she found the path that led to the river and began to jog down it. She was making good time, but was unable to completely focus on the task ahead.

She was torn between questions of what Valaina had nearly told her in the hall, rage against the orcs that would dare to kill her prisoners, and a fear deep inside her that she would never see Kili's smile again.

 **Everbody is leaving! Dis and Findrir have gone to get Freya, who aperantly gets all of her intelegence from her father.**

 **Kili's trying to keep his spirits up...it's a pity Fili and Aria have to be on the reciving end. (no it's not)**

 **Tauriel left with some good advice. Am I the only one who is starting to wonder what Valaina's deal is? Any guesses?**


	35. On the Long Lake

**Well, off to Lake Town we go!**

 **Chapter 35**

Mist covered the lake around the barge like a blanket, a thick veil shrouding our view. Around us loomed tall structures. Ice mistaken for stone ruins, ruins of a bygone age mistaken for ice. My eyes ached, though from tiredness or from the intensity of my searching gaze, I did not know. Nor did I care. My only concern lay in scanning my foggy surroundings for signs of a guard post. I soon gave up this fruitless search with the consolation that if we couldn't see the guards of Laketown, they couldn't see us.

I stared out into the fog, separated from the company by a few strides, standing precariously close to the edge of the barge with nothing between me and the water but a step and a jump. I needed time to think, time to mull over the events of the day.

The ride down the river had been terrifying, my attempt at being left behind had been an abysmal failure, and to top it all off, I hadn't had a full night of sleep since the day we climbed down from the carrock.

I remembered that that was also the last night I'd had a dream. I wasn't counting the vision in the cell after I'd caused myself to pass out.

That dream was my favorite out of all the premonitions I had experienced. The warm sunlight, the royal library with its jade green shelves that reached the ceiling two stories above the floor, and little Fira. As my thoughts turned to that child, that peculiar energetic child, I began to think. I began to think about my daughter who I was sure would never be born. My daughter whose father had very recently made it quite clear to me that he was as much in love with me as I was with him. A smile broke across my face at the realization that Fira might not have been such an impossible little child after all. Maybe...just maybe… she wasn't impossible at all. My thoughts were interrupted as I was joined at the edge of the barge.

"What's made you so happy?" asked Fili in a tone that could not be overheard.

"Oh, nothing much. Lost in thought, I guess, but what else is new?" I said.

He laughed and cast his eyes towards the deck. Looking back up at me, he asked again.

"But really, what is it?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just something that hadn't occurred to me before now," I said, shrugging.

"Of what?" he asked.

I hesitated. All of a sudden I felt guilt. Kili was growing closer to death's door as we spoke, and I was thinking about children.

"I don't feel right talking about it. Not with Kili injured and all of us in peril," I said finally.

"Immediate peril?" Fili asked.

"No, but still…" I trailed off, turning my gaze to the icy water.

"I think I can guess what it might be," he said at length.

"Oh?" I asked watching the rippling of the water displaced by the barge as we passed.

"I don't think it wrong to talk about something that brings light to a darkening time," he said reassuringly.

"You're right, of course you're right. I just wish it had happened at a time when we weren't in danger," I said.

"So do I, but that could never have been," Fili said.

"If one of us had just said something earlier on in the journey-" I began.

"That wouldn't have worked. Since Trollshaws, we've been in constant danger, and before that, I don't think either of us would have been ready to think about…" here he paused and glanced over at the company to make sure that we went unheard. "Marriage." he finished.

"You're right. I didn't recognize my own thoughts and feelings until after Rivendell. I was running from Azog's scouts and I tripped. When the first warg pinned me to the ground I thought I was going to die. For some reason, all I could think about was that I hadn't apologized for our fight in Rivendell," I said, staring into the dark depths of the lake. The very memory of the warg's fetid breath causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"I don't know whether I'm more flattered or angered by that," said Fili. "I might just marry you right now if only to make sure that couldn't happen again," he teased.

"Are dwarvish courtships usually this short?" I asked through laughter over his last comment.

"Um, I'm not a good authority on the subject, but we dwarves like to think we know our own minds and hearts very well. We don't usually have long courtships. I'm only just old enough to marry so I never courted, but from what I know, it isn't long between the beginning of courtship and the engagement or the realization that the two of you are completely wrong for each other," he said.

"And until the wedding?" I asked.

"Ah, yes. When it comes to weddings, there are two types of dwarves. There are those who marry the week they are engaged and those who spend six months preparing and planning. There is no in between," he said, a statement I found incredibly amusing.

"I'm dead serious," he assured me.

"I believe you," I told him, my gaze turned to an oddly shaped piece of ice floating in the water.

"So, what was it that occupied your thoughts?" he asked.

"Back to this, are we?" I asked.

"Even though I know you so well, you still manage to be a complete mystery. Yes, back to that," he said.

"Alright. Remember the night we climbed down from the carrock?" I asked.

"Yes. It was only last week," he said.

"Feels longer than that. But anyway, I told you about that dream I'd had, did I not?" I asked, but before he could reply, we were hailed from the company.

"You two, over here, now," called Dwalin, who stood at the prow of the barge, arms seemingly glued in a crossed position over his chest.

I would have to wait a long time before finishing that conversation.

"What is it?" I asked when we reached the rest of the company.

"We made the bargeman a deal," Balin replied.

"So?" I asked, already being aware of that fact.

"So, cough up," said Dwalin.

"One second," I said, turning my eyes to the backpack I had discarded over by where Kili was sitting.

I knelt and opened the pack, reaching to the bottom and feeling around each corner until I found what I was looking for. I produced a small drawstring pouch that clinked when I moved it. I had nearly forgotten about the money I'd won on my first day in Middle Earth, but because I hadn't had a chance to go shopping over the past few months, the money remained unspent in my backpack. Unspent, that is, until now.

"I have ten pieces of silver," I said, handing the money over to Balin, who emptied the pouch out onto a barrel lid and counted it.

"Indeed you do. Anyone else? We're still twenty-five coins short," Balin said.

I remembered that Gloin would only begrudgingly offer up ten coins in the end. We were still fifteen coins short.

"I can pitch in," said Fili, taking a leather pouch similar to mine from his right trouser pocket, and tossing it to Balin.

"That's ten silver pieces if memory serves," Fili said.

Balin emptied the pouch onto the table and counted ten silver coins.

"Indeed. Now, just let me recount this one more time. If you could all put a lid on it for a moment," he entreated us.

I went to take a seat by Kili and Fili made to sit by me, but settled on Kili's other side when he noticed Dwalin's sweeping gaze near us.

We were all silent until a jumbled maze-like pillars of rock grew to loom over our vessel.

"Watch out!" yelled Bofur needlessly, as Bard steered us around the ruin.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin asked in disapproval.

Bard seemed unphased by Thorin's remarks, and his answer radiated self-assured.

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here," he said.

"Oh, I have enough of this lippy lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him," Grumbled Dwalin in his typical fashion.

"Ohh, Bard, his name's Bard," corrected Bilbo, who seemed to have had enough of his companions lack propriety towards the bargeman.

"How do you know?" Bofur asked in confusion.

"Uh, I asked him," the hobbit replied in a tone suggesting that he was stating the obvious.

"I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him," Dwalin mumbled.

Hearing this, his older brother spoke his piece.

"We do not have to like him, we simply have to pay him. Come on now, lads, turn out your pockets," Balin urged us.

"How do we know he won't betray us?" Dwalin asked Thorin.

"We don't," Thorin replied as a few of the dwarves pulled a spare coin or two each from their pockets and passed them to Balin.

"There's, um, just a problem: we're ten coins short," said Balin after counting the new acquisitions.

"Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have," said Thorin.

"Don't look to me," protested Gloin. "I have been bled dry by this venture! And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and-"

I prepared myself, and slowly turned my head to see what had stopped Gloin mid-sentence.

I gasped. After months of travel and years of wondering, there it was. Rising out of the mist some way in the distance stood the Lonely Mountain. The landscape around it was dwarfed in comparison to the solitary peak guarding the lake and all the surrounding hills and valleys. Though I knew it was farther away than it seemed and that we were in desperate need of supplies, I wanted to go there now.

"Bless my beard. Take it. Take all of it," said Gloin, as much in awe as the rest of us.

He handed over the money he had previously concealed from Balin.

Just as the white-bearded dwarf began to count the money, Bilbo coughed loudly and gestured his head towards the approaching bargeman.

"The money, quick, give it to me," said Bard in urgency.

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before," said Thorin.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead," said Bard, indicating the hut only barely visible through the fog.

Now, we could only just make out the ragtag huddle of rooftops that was Esgaroth.

"Very well. Balin, give him what he's owed," said Thorin, a look of distaste crossing his face.

"I swear, if you play us false," Dwalin began, leaving his statement as a threat, hanging unfinished in the air.

Thorin gave him a nudge and a look of warning, to which Dwalin responded with a curt nod.

"Get into the barrels, all of you, and stay down," Bard ordered.

As the dwarves began to climb into their barrels, I spoke to Dwalin, who had yet to move towards his.

"He seems an honest type to me. I would be surprised if he lied to us," I said.

"Careful," said Thorin. "A trusting heart is an asset, but gullibility is a weakness undesirable in a leader," he finished.

"I still don't like him," Dwalin grumbled.

"What was that supposed to mean?" I asked under my breath as they both made their way to the barrels.

"It means Thorin's a lot more observant than I thought," Kili said as he and Fili past me, this time, his attempt at humor poorly masked the pain he was in.

"Maybe, but I shouldn't think he'd disapprove. I don't see how he could," said Fili, taking my hand in his for a moment and squeezing it, before letting go, and helping the injured Kili into his barrel.

"Well, see you in Lake Town," I said, as Fili lifted himself into his own barrel.

"Be safe," he replied, before disappearing from sight.

There was a moment of silence.

I bit my lip, worry welling up inside me from nowhere. I tried to remind myself that Tauriel was coming and that she would make it to Esgaroth in time to save Kili's life, but just the knowledge that he was safe did nothing to change the pain he was in now.

I turned my thoughts to more pressing matters. First and foremost among these was that there simply was no barrel for me.

I resigned myself to this and moved to sit at the prow of the boat, pushing the barrel on top of which Balin had done his counting in front of me. One was more easily hidden than many, and surely I could get away with this. I reached out and grabbed my backpack just as Bard said, "heads down."

I hugged the pack to my chest and waited.

At length, I felt the barge cease its movement, and heard Bard disembark for the guard post.

"Shh, what's he doing?" I heard Dwalin whisper.

"He's talking to someone," Bilbo replied.

"And he's...pointing right at us!" was Bilbo's next exclamation.

"Now they're shaking hands," came the hobbits urgent whisper

"That villain! He's selling us out," accused Dwalin.

I saw movement from around the barrel I was hiding behind. It was only the that I realized that I could have hidden in Bard's extra barrel. If I'd had that thought sooner, much would now be different.

* * *

Tauriel was of one mind, her plan clearly formed. She would find the orcs that dared to kill her prisoner, and then she would make them pay with their own worthless hides. Unless...unless he was still alive. If he was still alive then she had to find a way to save him. As Tauriel tracked the pack, she thought, mind skimming through every bit of medical knowledge she knew. Morgul wounds were extremely difficult to heal. There were only a few in Middle Earth who could do it. Tauriel kicked a stone in anger as she passed. She could not remember the remedy and she knew more of the weapon itself than how to heal one pierced by its shaft.

Carried rarely, and only by Gundabad orcs, morgul bows shot arrows tainted with a venom only found on the morgul blades of Sauron's ringwraiths. As the wraiths were long gone, none had been made in recent years, and none had been used in battle.

If what Tauriel had heard was true, then she could think of only one reason the bow had been brought forth.

To kill Thorin Oakenshield.

Tauriel had heard of the old oath sworn by Azog the defiler to eradicate the line of Durin, and she knew his followers must have sworn a similar oath themselves.

"Then why waste an arrow on a common dwarf?" she asked the forest around her. No reply came but the sound of her own footsteps.

Tauriel broke the treeline, wishing that she knew more in the way of healing the wounds caused by those terrible weapons.

As she ran, she did remember something. Valaina and Mirima had talked about morgul wounds once, and she remembered Mirima saying that the only healer skilled enough to bring someone back to health after a wound like that was Lord Elrond. Tauriel had heard of Elrond's skills in the healing arts, but she hoped that Mirima had exaggerated the difficulty of healing a morgul wound. If it took the skills of an elf such as Lord Elrond of Imladris, Tauriel was most definitely out of her depth.

As she tracked the orcs down the bank, Tauriel became lost in thought, trying to recall the rest of the conversation between Mirima and Valaina.

Though her thoughts failed to settle on the memories she sought, her feet continued to lead her away from the realm, and towards her prey.

It wasn't long before Tauriel caught sight of a distinct sign that her quarry had passed that way. Scattered about the bank were the remains of a young stag, shot with an orc's arrow, his blood left to pool and seep between the crevices of the rocky shore. After a quick glance confirmed that the arrow was no morgul shaft, Tauriel continued. She had no desire to cast her gaze upon the stag's remains for any longer than she had to. Just the thought that the orcs would so heedlessly slaughter a creature so beautiful and innocent made the blood pumping through her veins grow hot with anger.

Tauriel halted.

There it was before her. The Long Lake. Across it lay Esgaroth, near the shores some way around the lake lay a bridge. If only she knew which way it was.

Through the sounds of the gentle falls behind her, Tauriel heard something new. A sudden sense of danger brought Tauriel's hand to her quiver and an arrow to her bow in one swift movement.

Her arm relaxed when she saw Legolas standing before her, holding his bow in much the same manner as she held hers. She'd had a feeling he might follow her, but all the same, he'd startled her needlessly.

"Ingannen le Orch," she told him, and it was true. She had thought him an orc before turning on him.

"Cí Orch im, dangen le,"Legolas replied, insinuating that if he were, in fact, an orc, she would be dead.

Tauriel lowered her bow as a sign of good will, and the prince mirrored her movement.

"Tauriel, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own," he said, approaching her.

"But I'm not on my own," Tauriel said, hoping that he would agree to accompany her.

"You knew I would come," Legolas said, smiling.

Tauriel returned the smile but said nothing.

"The king is angry, Tauriel. For 600 years, my father has protected you, favored you. You defied his orders; you betrayed his trust," Legolas said.

As he spoke, Tauriel's brow furrowed. She had thought that surely her old friend would take her side, but instead, the words that issued from his mouth sounded like words she had come to expect from his father.

"Dandolo na nin...e gohenatha," said Legolas, urging her to come back with him. Telling her that his father would forgive her. Not understanding that none of that mattered.

"Ú-'ohenathon. Cí dadwenithon, ú-'ohenathon im," Tauriel replied. Her words spoke of not returning. Or never forgiving herself if she did.

In the common tongue, she continued. "The king has never let orc-filth from our lands, yet he would let this orc-pack cross our borders and kill our prisoners."

"It is not our fight," Legolas argued.

"It is our fight. It will not end here. With every victory, this evil will grow. If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light, and let darkness descend. Are we not part of this world?" she asked. After a pause brought no answer, she continued.

"Tell me, mellon, when did we let evil become stronger than us?" she asked.

"Never," he replied.

"The orcs will go to Esgaroth," Tauriel informed Legolas.

"Then we must follow the bank. It will lead us at length to a bridge we can cross into the town," Legolas said.

"Is it a long journey?" Tauriel asked.

"If we run all night, we should reach Esgaroth early tomorrow evening," said Legolas.

"Then we've wasted time," Tauriel concluded.

"Indeed," Legolas replied, and seconds later, the two elves were back in the hunt.

* * *

II hated the smell of seafood.

As the guards filled my companions barrels with more and more fish, I became increasingly sure that I was going to vomit. This sensation, however, was completely overtaken by a different one. I needed to sneeze. Badly.

"Oh no no no no...Aria, just wait a few more seconds. We'll be back on our way in no time and then you can sneeze to your heart's content, just not here," I thought to myself.

"Is that all of them, Aldon?" asked a voice near my barrel.

The noise of falling fish ceased.

"Appears to be, Selwin," replied another man's voice.

"Well, what do you say we head off early today and split our winnings?" asked the first voice.

"Ay. Can't imagine why Bard would try to smuggle dwarves into lake town, but if it means extra meat for supper I'm willing to keep secret," replied the second man, Aldon.

"So am I. If only the master didn't keep such a close eye on him," said the first man, Selwin.

"What can we do about it? There's naught else Bard's done to get him in trouble," Aldon replied.

"What are you saying?" Selwin asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Only that if Bard were to commit some small crime, the master might overlook this. Of course, the master would also forget that we were involved in this in the first place," said Aldon.

"Are you saying we should frame Bard for something?" asked Selwin.

"If it'll keep the bargeman and the two of us out of big trouble, then maybe so," replied Aldon.

I had been so engrossed in the conversation that I had forgotten to close my mouth or make any attempt to cover the quiet but distinct sneeze that issued from my mouth.

As soon as I had sneezed, I clutched my backpack tighter, eyes widening. For a moment there was no noise, but then I heard a voice.

"What do you suppose that was?" asked Selwin.

"Sounds like a small crime to me," replied Aldon.

"Now, what's all this about?" asked Bard's voice. Hope leapt within me!

"Where's the money?" asked Selwin.

"On the fisherman's table as promised," said Bard.

"Good. Well, in that case, there's only one more thing to be done, then we'll be off," said Aldon.

"Oh, and what might that be?" asked Bard.

"Selwin," replied Aldon, ordering his companion, and I heard the clunk of boots moving across the deck towards me.

"Well well well, what's this?" asked Selwin's voice from right above me. As I turned my head up slowly to meet his gaze, he reached behind my barrel and yanked me into a standing position by my arm.

"Selwin, I've paid you well, let her be," said Bard.

"No, I don't think you have," said Aldon frankly.

"What? You've seen the money yourself," Bard argued.

"We're going to have to report this," said Selwin.

"We had a deal. Payment in exchange for a few barrels of fish, and a promise that you'd never seen the stowaways," Bard said.

"I'm sorry Bard, but your exact words were 'you never saw the dwarves in those barrels.' Well she wasn't in a barrel, and begging your pardon, but she doesn't look much like a dwarf, neither," said Selwin. I was beginning to gather that he was the less intelligent of the two middle-aged guards standing aboard the barge.

"Tell you what Bard, I'll take this one into the armory jail and report her as an unsolicited stowaway. We leave with a clean conscience, and you leave with your dwarves," said Aldon, bargaining wit Bard.

"I paid you for all of them," Bard insisted.

There was a pause. "Those children of yours, their safety depends on your obedience. If you value them, you'll let us take what's ours and go," said Selwin.

At this point, I saw the change in Bard's eyes. I didn't blame him. His family meant the world to him. I couldn't be the reason for their safety being compromised.

"Bard," I said, getting his attention.

I nodded, indicating that I accepted the guard's claim.

"It's for the best, Bard," said Aldon.

"And her companions? How do you expect them to feel about this?" asked Bard.

"They'll know it was necessary," I said. This was only partially true. Thorin would understand, but some of the others? I didn't even want to imagine what Fili would think.

"I can walk," I said to Selwin, as he attempted to prod me in the back.

And walk I did, straight off the barge, and onto the rickety dock.

"We could go straight back to Lake Town," said Selwin as Bard staved the barge away from the dock.

"No, there're still a few more fishers out there," replied Aldon.

"We'll go back after lunch, then," said Selwin.

"Ay. Now you, girl, go in there and wait with those fishermen. Don't make noise either. You won't be harmed, but take this as a warning. No one gets past the Master's eye," said Aldon. I walked past the two men, and made my way down the pier, turned left, and pushed open the door to the hut.

I peered inside to see a cot, a couple of worn out sofas, a table, and a rudimentary fireplace, over which hung a steaming pot. Two fishermen sat by the fire warming themselves, and on the table sat two abandoned mugs of steaming liquid. I guessed that these beverages had belonged to the two guards.

"So you're the price, are you?" asked one fisher without turning his head.

"Not sure," I said quietly.

"You're here. The rest left on the barge. Selwin and Aldon won't want to be associated with smuggling. They'll do anything to wash their hands of this mess. Turn you in, even," said the first fisherman.

"That's most guards round these parts," said the second.

"Unfortunate as it may be, it's our lot in life. Welcome to Lake Town."

With the words of the fisher in my ears, I turned to the door I had not yet shut.

I saw the barge disappearing into the mist.

 **Uh oh, how's this going to play out?**

 **Thorin knows about Aria and Fili, Aria's off to prison,** **and our other dwarf-saving heroine has no idea how to save the life of one of the dwarves...wait...no...that describes both of them.**


	36. Snow on the lake, fire in the mountains

**And...we're back in deep waters.**

 **Chapter 36**

"I am the biggest fool I know," I groaned, slamming the hut door behind me.

"You've met Selwin out there, so I doubt it," mumbled one of the fishers.

I didn't reply. I didn't know this man, I didn't like him very much, and I had no reason to talk to him.

I bit the inside of my cheek in anger. I was in shock. Not traumatic shock, just shock at my own stupidity. I was outside the reach of Lake Town, in a rickety shack on a rickety pier, back in captivity with no way out. Not only that, but I was there willingly. I was there of my own volition. I had walked off the barge of my own accord. I could phrase it fifty different ways, but the fact would still stand.

I was once more separated from the company and this time it was completely avoidable. If I had objected, I might still be on the barge to Lake Town.

"Fili is never gonna let me forget this," I moaned, sinking to the floor next to the now closed door.

I immediately scooted sideways away from the door. It wasn't built very well and the draft of cold air coming through it was making my wet clothes feel frozen solid.

"Who's that now?" asked one of the men.

"None of your concern," I said, arms tightening around my backpack.

"I'd be careful talking like that. You don't want to go making enemies before crossing the toll gate," said the first fisherman.

"I'll do as I please, and it pleases me to keep my private business to myself," I said, still fuming.

"So your father then?" asked the second man.

"You call your father by his first name?" I shot back.

The man scoffed.

"Brother," said the first man.

"I'm not interested in this conversation," I said.

I was satisfied when there was no further answer.

There was a creaking noise from outside.

"Ho there, boat coming in!" called a voice from outside. It was a man's voice, young and strong, not belonging to either of the guards. It must have been a returning fisher.

"Halt! Pull in and be recognized!" shouted Selwin.

"Willingly Selwin, but you know me well, so I don't see the point," replied the younger voice.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I stood up. I slipped my backpack on and peered out the "window," which was little more than a square hole in the wall. I could see a small boat pulling up to the pier. When it had come to a complete halt, I was surprised to see a guard in full uniform hop off.

"Albriech!" Aldon greeted him.

"Father," Albriech said in a less enthusiastic voice.

"Patrol was clear today?" Aldon asked.

"Always is," Albriech replied. I thought I saw him shrug his shoulders.

"Good,good. Anything to declare?" Aldon asked.

"I'm thirsty, and would like to go someplace I can get something besides water," Albriech said, and I surmised that he wanted to leave.

"We have a pot of broth inside if you're partial," Selwin offered.

"Alright then," Albreich replied after a long pause.

The three of them turned and began to walk towards the shack. I looked around, not sure if it was a good idea for three more people to enter the tiny excuse for a building. I resumed my former position, standing right next to the door. It opened and the three guards entered, Selwin saying something about the broth and the other two not paying much attention.

I saw my chance as the door began to swing shut behind Albriech, and without thinking, I slipped outside. Without looking behind me, I ran down the rickety pier and jumped the short distance between the dock and Albriech's little patrol boat. There wasn't much in the boat save for an ore and a pile of fishing nets. I looked only for the rope that tied it to the dock but found none. It took a second for me to realize that the boat was drifting.

"Oh Mahal," I said, realizing that the young guard hadn't tied up his boat.

I heard a shout from the shack and instinctively fell to the deck.

"Smaug take me now, I didn't tie up my boat!"

I heard the slamming of the door, running footsteps on the dock, and then lay motionless as a pair of boots hit the deck in front of me.

"Sorry father, I'm drifting. I'll see you tonight!" called Albriech.

"Very well then," replied Aldon's voice.

"You. Stay down if you value your freedom," he said.

I obeyed.

The boat swayed beneath me, small thunking noises accompanying the lapping of waves against the hull. As Albriech moved to steer the boat, I was able to catch a sidelong glance at him. I had been right in assuming that he was young. He couldn't have been much older than I was and had tidy black hair and bottle green eyes. His face was clean shaven and his uniform pressed.  
He was not what I had come to expect from the film images of Lake Town's men, and

It was several tense minutes before he spoke again.

"The mist is heavy today, you won't be seen if you sit up now," he said.

"Why would you do that? You owe me nothing," I said.

"I didn't do it for you," he replied.

"Oh? Then this is an act of rebellion against your father," I guessed.

"Is it so obvious?" he asked.

"That you despise him? Yes," I said.

"Let all the world know if they please, but no. I came in from behind the outpost. I saw what happened from a distance and Bard didn't seem to like that you were taken from his barge," Albriech said.

"You're returning me?" I asked skeptically.

"If that's how you see it."

"Is Bard so well admired that people like you would disobey the master's guards for him?" I asked.

"I _am_ one of the master's guards, but no. The people like him, but not enough to disobey the hand that feeds them, however poorly the master does that job," he said.

"You're not making any sense," I said bluntly.

"I'm not spineless like my fa-like so many of the people in this town. I can't see why Bard would want you to enter Lake Town, but he must have had a good reason, so I'm taking you back. Now get under those nets. Percy won't search the boat, but I don't want you seen," he said.

I didn't trust him.

All the same, he puzzled me. He didn't like the town, he hated his father, but he trusted Bard? There was a peice of this puzzle missing and I wanted to find it. Not nearly as badly as I wanted to get back to Fili and the others, but I was curious.

* * *

Tauriel ran, keeping an easy pace with Legolas, no longer needing to track the orc pack. Her feet seemed to pound the earth beneath her boots, but to any man or beast, it would have made no more noise than a drop of rain on a windy day. Tauriel's muscles began to ache after a couple of hours, but all the same, she continued.

The pain distracted her from her fear that Kili could not be saved or that it was already too late, but it could not stop the memories.

She heard his voice in her head, laughing and telling her about places she only dreamed about. She could recall so much of their night-long conversation, and it played through her mind. She saw the falls of Rivendell in each glimpse of the lake. The Misty Mountains in each stone, and the verdant hills of the shire in each flash of her own green clothing.

Tauriel had never actually seen any of these places, but Kili had described them so vividly to her that she could picture herself in each of them.

 _Focus. You aren't in Rivendell. You're nowhere near the Misty Mountains. Forget the Shire._ She told herself.

But it was not possible to forget those places.

Not when she might already have lost her only link to them.

"Stop. We'll rest here a while," Legolas said, and they slowed to a halt.

"I want to keep going," Tauriel said.

"Tauriel, if we do not stop, you'll be too tired to fight when we reach Lake Town," Legolas said.

"Five minutes, then. No more," Tauriel asserted, and Legolas nodded his head.

"Tauriel," Legolas said, looking into her eyes. "You did the right thing," he said.

She nodded but turned away from him almost immediately. For the moments she had looked into his piercing blue eyes, all she had found was a wish for them to be darker, more comforting.

Kili would have left the realm if it had been one of his comrades injured, she knew it. Legolas, on the other hand, had tried to hold her back.

Tauriel sat on the bank and looked out over the lake.

 _I wish he were here. He'd understand, I know he would,_ She thought.

"You knew him for less than a day," she whispered to herself, but even her own logic could not dissuade her from the knowledge that he had understood her almost immediately.

She sighed and began to mindlessly pluck bits of a weed from the bank beside her.

Her thoughts were clouded, and never before had they been so. She could not bare it.

"It has been five minutes," said Legolas's voice.

"We'll be on our way then," she said.

"If you wish," Legolas said.

She stood, and they took off running. As she ran, Tauriel tried to brush the remainder of the weeds from her hands, but they left behind a sticky residue. She took one whiff of her hand and realized what it had been. She nearly missed hitting a tree, her concentration had been so lax.

"Athelas," she whispered.

It was valuable. Valaina always wanted more of it.

Tauriel recalled her saying that it could heal all but the darkest magic and the worst injuries. Unfortunately, Kili's injury was both of those things.

It was then that Tauriel remembered the rest of the conversation between Mirima and Valaina that had escaped her earlier that day. Mirima had said that athelas was necessary to heal morgul wounds, but that the one time she had seen Lord Elrond do this, he had chanted words.

Athelas and a chant...if only Mirima had told her the words.

* * *

"It's been nearly three weeks, why have we not found them yet?" Dis asked in frustration as she dropped another log on their small fire.

"We know we're on the right track," Findrir replied.

"Yes, we found one of Freya's inscribed beads, and we see remains of their fires, but what good is it? We knew they were on this road before we picked up their trail," Dis countered, her mood no better.

"We know one thing for certain. They are still alive and still moving. We could have far worse problems than a determined child," Findrir said.

"Yes, like a child determined not to be found by her parents," Dis shot back.

"How's this. We'll take one hour of sleep each, then we'll move on," Findrir suggested.

"Alright. You first, I'm much too stressed to sleep now," Dis ordered.

Findrir crossed the small mountain ledge on which they made camp, and embraced her.

"Thank you, love," he said.

She said nothing, but took his hand and led him to the rock wall of the ledge, where they both sat down to begin their wait.

It wasn't long before Findrir felt Dis' breathing grow slow and even. He shook his head and smiled. She was too stubborn to admit that she had been dead tired, and now she was asleep in his arms. Findrir would have been content to remain in that way forever… had his precious child not been out there somewhere, away from his protection. Had all three of his children not been lost to him.

Though it has been many years since the event, I have never been able to find out what caused the avalanche that awoke Dis half an hour later, all I know of the event is what I have been told.

The earth shook and a sound like thunder wrent the air of the mountains.

"What is that? That isn't an-"

"Avalanche," Findrir said, confirming his wife's worst fears.

"We need to go, now. Don't bother dousing the fire," he said.

In seconds, the two had saddled their pair of rams and were off, riding as fast as they dared down the treacherous mountainside trail. Above them, they could hear rocks falling and the sound that Dis had earlier mistaken for thunder only got louder. Dis' only consolation was that she could not see the great force hurtling towards them.

"Make for the tunnel!" Findrir called from behind her.

"Do I have a choice?" Dis called, as she spotted the place, some ways ahead, where the mountain was cut away.

On either side, they were separated from the mountain by deep crevices, the trail turning to a stone bridge that stretched precariously to the base of the next peak. There, was the tunnel that Findrir spoke of. As they hurtled towards it, Dis could see that it was of poor make, rough-hewn and small.

"We aren't going to fit! We're going to have to abandon the goats!" Dis called over her shoulder.

"Ready when you are!" Findrir shouted back.

The tunnel approached, getting closer and closer every second. Dis realized the flaw in her plan a moment too late.

"Now!" Dis yelled, and she slipped off her goat, flattening herself against the tunnel opening, missing the horns of Findrir's goat as it charged past her. In the quickest of actions, Findrir slid off of his own steed, letting it hurtle past them into the tunnel. Dis felt Findrir take her hand, and it was a moment before she kicked her brain into action and ran up the tunnel sped along by Findrir's hand and the thunder of falling snow and ice in her ears.

The dim light in the tunnel decreased to almost nothing, a silence took her senses, and Dis stopped in her tracks. Findrir let her hand fall and turned to face back the way they had come.

"We're trapped," Dis said.

"Yes. The snow's blocked the entire tunnel. The draft stopped," Findrir said.

"Is there any other way to get back to Ered Luin?" Dis asked, being less familiar with the mountain roads than her husband.

"Without goats? None that wouldn't take our lives in the effort," Findrir said.

"So then what choice are we left with? I can only see one," Dis said.

"What is that? Do we take the southern road out of the mountains and loop back around?" he asked.

"It would take such a long time," Dis said.

"Fine. What was your idea?" Findrir asked, crossing his arms. He was unsure what else there was left to do.

"We find Freya and Gimli...Then we find the boys," Dis said.

"Find the boys? But we don't know where they are," Findrir said, brow creasing in frustration.

"So we join Dain. I'm sure that's where Freya and Gimli were going. Why not follow their plan?" Dis asked, a mother's hope filling her eyes.

"I...Why not?" Findrir said.

"You think?" Dis asked.

Findrir nodded, and Dis smiled for the first time in days.

* * *

They had been in the tunnel for nearly an hour before they could see the other end. The shadow of night had not yet lifted, and the light outside of the tunnel was barely brighter than that within, but it was enough for the two dwarves to see their way by.

To tell the truth, Findrir was also beginning to feel quite claustrophobic. He had just breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the tunnel's end when he felt Dis grab his elbow from behind.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered.

"Hear what?" Findrir asked.

"Shhh," Dis hissed.

Then he heard it. A scuffling from outside the tunnel. Findrir turned to his wife and thought he saw her mouth the word "trap."

He nodded, and stepped back, drawing a broadsword from a sheath across his back.

"Stay behind me," he said, glancing back towards the tunnel exit.

"I'm covered," Dis replied, and he turned to look at her. He was surprised to see the outline of a pair of elegant daggers, one in each of her hands.

"How-"

Let's just go," Dis said, and they broke into a run, darting out of the tunnel and into the clearing that greeted them. The two dwarves surveyed the dimly lit clearing around them but found nothing. Nothing. Then, the scuffling again.

"Fin," Dis whispered, and he nodded, understanding. He turned right, and she left. They split up, circling clearing quickly and blocking the path of the two figures that had tried to ambush their exit.

"It's about time," Findrir said, returning his sword to its sheath.

Dis sighed, sheathed her daggers, and then bolted forward to embrace her daughter.

"We were worried! What on earth possessed you to go and run away like that? If you two knew how much trouble you're going to be in," Dis said, never finishing her sentence. She pushed Freya away, holding her at arm's length, and brushing a lock of hair away from her face.

"You aren't hurt, are you?" she asked.

"No, ammâd," Freya said.

"Good, well, in that case, you are in an extreme amount of trouble young lady. On another note, you never attack someone until you know that they're actually a danger to you! You could have injured one of us...or worse, we could have killed you," Dis said, addressing her remarks to both young dwarves.

"Also, you two are much too loud. Ambushes require stealth and tact. Freya, you have no tact. Gimli...have you thought about accounting as a career?" Findrir asked.

"Ay, I have," Gimli grumped. He had thought about it. Thought, and decided never to follow in his father's footsteps.

"You're taking this uncommonly well," Gimli said, suspicion growing both in his tone and in his mind.

"Just tell us our punishment, get it over with, but know this: I am not going back to Ered Luin," Freya said, crossing her arms.

Findrir glared at her.

"You'll go where we say you will. Not only are you underage, but we are your parents," Findrir reprimanded her.

"Oh, I don't believe you addâd. Running after Gimli and I because we're so young and helpless. Worrying over us until you found us. Remind me. How many years younger that Kili am I?" Freya asked, disdainfully.

"Let your addâd finish," Dis said.

"Five. Just five years and I don't see either of you running off to get him or Fili back," Freya practically shouted, ignoring her mother's request.

"Freya, listen," Findrir said.

"I don't want to liste-"

"We're continuing on," Findrir said, speaking over her.

"What?"

"We've decided to continue on. We aren't going back to Ered Luin. Not without your brothers, anyway. You two are coming to the Iron hills with us, where we'll wait for news," Dis said.

"I...really?" Freya asked.

"Well, and Gimli's father of course," Dis added.

"Thorin?" Freya asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Now you're just being difficult," Findrir chastised her.

"Yes, and as soon as we figure out a punishment for you," Dis began.

"Alright, yes ammâ, I'm not sorry but I accept the punishment due to my actions," Freya said.

"Well then, we'll start with first watch. I'm tired and would like to get a few hours shut-eye," Findrir said.

Freya sighed but accepted. Some minutes later a small fire was kindled, and all but one of the little company were asleep.

* * *

"Stop moving," Albriech said through clenched teeth.

He was overreacting. I had moved my arm the most minuscule of amounts. I was sure he had only noticed the twitch because he was looking for it.

"Sorry," I grumbled from my place beneath the pile of thick fishing nets.

"Don't speak again. We're about to reach the tollgate."

At these words, I froze. Nevermind my damp clothing, nevermind the itchy nets irritating every inch of exposed skin on my body, nevermind my need to tuck my hair behind one ear. If I moved, I would be caught.

The interaction between Percy and Albriech was brief, and it wasn't long before the young guard had returned to the boat with his newly stamped papers in hand. The tollman bid him farewell and the boat began to move again. I thanked the stars that I hadn't been caught, and thanked everything else that the deck against which my face was pressed wasn't full of splinters.

I lay there for what seemed like an eternity while Albriech steered his way through the twisting streets of Laketown. I regretted not being able to see through the nets, but eventually, Albriech told me that I could sit up and push off the nets.

"Don't stand," he said. "You can't be identified as anything but human unless they see your full height."

I agreed to this and sat up to survey my surroundings, pushing the nets away from me. I was greeted by the sight of a town unlike any I had seen before. A shanty town of mismatched shops and homes, waterlogged and subdued in color. I took a deep breath in through the nose and immediately regretted it. The entire place smelled of fish, and it made me want to vomit. Of course, had I done so, it wouldn't have made much of a mess. I hadn't had a full meal since Beorn's, and the scrap of bread I'd had in Mirkwood barely counted as food.

"That place ahead is the Master's house. The grandest building in this town, but it still holds nothing to Dale's worst ruins.

"You've been to Dale?" I asked.

All I got in return was a slow nod.

"You're right, it's an eyesore. I can't think of a single elf who would want to stay in a place like that," I said, I could have given more opinion on the subject, but decided that it would be folly to insult the guard.

"What makes you think an elf would stay in Laketown?" Albriech asked.

"I thought that the main source of income to this town was trade with the woodland realm," I said. "There must be ambassadors," I said.

"That's laughable. There hasn't been an elf in Laketown for over half a decade," Albriech said. Nothing in his tone suggested amusement.

"Why? I mean this place smells bad, but not that bad," I said.

"The elven King expressly forbade it," Albriech shrugged.

"And he did this because…" I prompted.

Albriech stared at me for a moment, as if unsure whether or not to answer.

"When I was nine, an elf living in Laketown made a decision that could have cost her her life. It was a decision that she would never have made while living in the Woodland Realm. Thranduil hoped that by spiriting her away, back to his halls, he would be able to heal her before death took her. We are certain she died. With the state of sickness she was in, she couldn't have made it far. Since then, not one elf has been seen in Laketown. It was quite a tragic scandal," said Albriech.

"This is a small town. I'm willing to bet that even the smallest disturbance could qualify as a scandal," I guessed.

"I wish I could say that was true. Only, nothing ever happens here," Albriech said, looking around at the scraggly town.

"Give it a day or two," I said under my breath. Yes, give it a day or two indeed. Then we'll all be wishing it were as dull as ever a town had been.

 **A clever escape plan, what could possibly go wrong?**

 **In regards to Freya, I do not envy her. She got what she wanted, but she might just be grounded for life.**

 **Oh, Tauriel, for someone with elf's eyes, you don't see what's in front of you very well. Any guesses on how long it'll take her to get the message?**


	37. The complication of loud companions

**Okay, let's see if we can find the company!**

 **Chapter 37**

As Albriech informed me that we were nearing Bard's house, I thanked my lucky stars that I had a guide. Even an abrupt and stolid one such as Albriech was better than none in this maze of docks, rickety buildings, and riverways.

"Lie low, they watch this house," he said to me.

"Why?"

"Because Bard gives the people hope. Aside from the Master's own spies and guards, there isn't a soul in this town who doesn't want Bard to be our leader. Bard won't do anything revolutionary, at least not until his children are grown, but that doesn't stop the Master from publicly keeping an eye on him."

"Is that all?" I asked.

"There is one more thing. The Master will do anything to keep the people of Laketown from remembering that Bard is a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale," Albriech said.

"Then, is that your reason for giving Bard the allegiance you do?" I asked.

"That's part of it," Albriech said.

"And the rest?" I asked.

Alrbriech went red and told me to get my head down and stop talking. I thought I could guess what it might be, but I did as he asked without further questioning.

At length, the boat beneath me slowed to a halt, and I heard Albriech's voice above me saying "Don't draw attention to yourself."

I harrumphed and sat up. Who did he think I was? Of course I knew not to call attention to myself.

I slipped my pack on, hopped off the boat behind Albriech, and hurried up the stairs to Bard's house. When we reached the landing, he turned to me and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Listen carefully. I meant what I said about not drawing attention to yourself. I've watched the waters near that guard outpost for a long time, and I saw the boat holding those fishermen you saw in the shack," he began.

"So what?"

"So, I didn't recognize them. In this small town that isn't a good sign," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Nothing for sure, but my instincts have yet to fail me, and I don't like this one bit. I won't question you further, but I have to know this, is there anyone that might want you dead?" he asked.

I shivered.

"Yes."

One quest. One hopeless mission. One task that could disrupt the plans of a certain pale orc.

He nodded and knocked thrice upon the door.

"My father's not at home, come back later," said a voice.

"Sigrid, it's me," Albriech told the closed door in a much kinder tone than the one in which he'd addressed me.

The door opened a crack, and Sigrid could be seen standing just behind it.

"Now isn't the best time, Al," she said.

"I know about your stowaways," Albriech said.

"News travels fast," came the reply.

"No. I have a different source. Two guards tried to hold this one, but I thought it wise to return her," Albriech said.

"Oh, alright. But, Al, please don't come in. I don't want you associated with us any more than you have to be. Not until...not until the spies go away at least," Sigrid whispered, worry evident in her tone.

"Don't worry. I'm not about to get myself arrested. Not yet, anyway," he said.

I was quite sure that I now knew Albriech's reason for staying loyal to Bard, and it had nothing to do with his descent from Girion.

"I'll come back late. Don't expect me until night falls. There are more newcomers in this town than a couple of dwarves," Albriech said darkly.

"Don't do anything foolish," Sigrid warned.

"Never do," was his quiet reply, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile touch his face.

"Trust nobody," he said to me, before hurrying away, down the stairs.

I watched him go before turning back to the house.

"Aria, isn't it?" Sigrid said.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"There was a heated discussion soon after they arrived here. They weren't sure whether to go find you or not, and my Da had to tell them it was useless to try anything before nightfall. A couple of them didn't take that very well. They seem better now, though," she told me, before ushering me into the house. I got a good look at her as she shut the door behind me. She was around my age, with hazel eyes, a clear complexion, and features that had a delicacy to them I couldn't quite place.

I turned to survey Bard's home, finding it just as I remembered it from the films. The only difference, being the group of discontent dwarves huddled around the table, arguing.

"It makes no sense to go now, we'd be spotted sure as daylight," said Fili.

"We'd be spotted because it's daylight," Ori put in.

"That wasn't necessary," Dori chastised.

"I don't care about being spotted. We need weapons, and we're missing a company member. The only way to get those things is by leaving. I'd rather do that now than sit here idling about while Durin's day slips closer and closer to us," said Dwalin, arms crossed.

"Hang on, what am I missing?" Nori asked.

"Prison's in the armory," said. Bofur.

"Right," Nori replied.

I set my pack down quietly, and walked up to the table, standing slightly behind Oin and Bofur, waiting to inject myself into the conversation.

"Be that as it may, there's no use in going now if we get caught as soon as we set foot in the armory," said Thorin.

"On the contrary," I said. "I agree with Dwalin. It's getting dark, and if we wait until the bargeman gets back, he might try to stop us from leaving altogether," I finished.

"Finally, someone who sees reason," Dwalin said, before doing a double take.

I was surprised and pleased at the reaction to my return that followed. There was a lot of cheering and back patting, and a couple of 'how did you get away's?'''

My simple answer was that I had used a boat.

Once order had been restored to the table, I gave up trying to see around Bofur's hat and moved down to the end of the table where Fili and Kili were standing. I didn't say anything but moved in to stand beside Fili. Thorin continued to speak, but I wasn't listening anymore. I looked down at the table, my hand brushing Fili's beneath it.

He turned to me, taking a good long look at me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't your fault," he whispered back.

"Ah, so there wasn't a heated argument while I was gone," I said.

"Uh, no. There was still a heated argument. That's putting it kindly," he replied.

I took his hand under the table, and we turned back to listen to Thorin.

"So, our choices are clear. Now, or after nightfall?" Thorin asked.

"It's now, or never, actually," I began. "Bard heard your name, Thorin. By now he'll have found out who you are, and he won't want you going anywhere near that mountain," I said.

"How did you know the bargeman heard his name," Dwalin asked.

"I told her," Fili said, his hand tightening in mine as if to say 'be careful, that was close.'

"Well, I say she's right," Dwalin said.

"Fine. We leave now," Thorin said.

"Take everything you brought in. We won't be returning anytime soon," Balin reminded us, and there was a scuffle to get ready and collect belongings from where they hung by the fireplace or over the backs of chairs.

As soon as everybody had busied themselves around the room, Fili turned to me.

"How did you manage to do it this time?" he asked.

"I sneezed. The guards heard. Bla bla bla," I said, shrugging.

"You're almost as talented at getting into messes as Kili," he told me, amused.

"We're all in quite the mess right now," I said. "But I'll give up running off, if it helps,"I offered.

"Just don't give up coming back and you can do what you please," Fili said.

"Oh? Is this an invitation?" I asked, one eyebrow quirking upwards.

"Have you still got that backpack?" he said.

"You dodged my question," I said, before stepping away from him.

"You never answered mine," he countered.

"The both of you had better shut up, or we'll still be here come sunrise," Dwalin ordered from across the room. I tried to hide my amusement and crossed the room, shouldered my pack, and stepped out the door after Thorin. As we left the house, I heard Bain trying to reason with each member of the company as they passed, trying to stop us from leaving.

* * *

The sun had set by the time we had reached the armory. We'd had to dodge several watchmen on our way there and even gotten lost once, having to double back and retrace our steps to find the mistake.

Thorin directed some of the company to crouch, forming a sort of ramp. The rest were directed to climb into the armory and collect weapons. Both Fili and I protested when Thorin told Kili that he would be among the first group to climb into the armory, but our protests were silenced, and the operation preceded with all speed and stealth.

"Stay here, hide in the shadows. Give us a signal if you see anything," Thorin ordered me.

"Should I stay as well?" Bilbo asked.

"I should think not," Thorin said, and the hobbit nodded.

Thorin turned towards the newly formed living ramp and was about to send Nori up when a thought occurred to me.

"How should I signal? You don't want me to hoot like an owl, do you?" I asked.

"Why would I want you to do something ridiculous like that?" Thorin asked.

"Maybe you should ask one of your nephews," said Bilbo.

"Shh, keep it down," warned Dwalin from nearby.

"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain. Go, go, go!" Thorin ordered.

Nori bounded up the dwarven ramp and into the armory, followed closely by Bilbo, then by the others. I retreated into the shadows to wait.

Time passed, with minimal noise from the armory. I was beginning to hope that we might get out on time, and beginning to believe that just maybe the films had been mistaken.

My hopes were dashed when I heard a distinct clanging and clattering noise from above, accompanied by a thud.

Kili had fallen.

The guards patrolling nearby rushed to investigate, and I had no time to provide a warning before the dwarves had been captured.

As my companions were lead out of the armory, I made to follow them, dodging in and out of shadows, but always away from view.

The guards led us through the streets of Esgaroth...Well, if you could call the rickety waterside walkways streets. By the time we reached the Master's square, I was properly lost. I wouldn't have been able to find my way back to the armory, let alone to Bard's house.

Ahead of me, the dwarves were pushed to the front of the torchlit square, and their escape blocked by a semicircle of guards. I had to push and shove my way to the guards, and from there, I quickly realized that I would be unable to get any closer to them.

"Get off of me!" I heard Dwalin protesting as he was shoved by a guard.

There was no shortage of protest from the other dwarves, but most of it was held in indistinct mutterings and growls.

The door to the Master's hall was pulled open by a pair of guards, and outstrode d a grotesquely fat man with a greasy ginger comb over, wearing a fur-trimmed robe that might have been luxurious fifty years ago, but was now word and dirty.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Master of Laketown blustered.

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire," said Braga, one of the Master's lead henchmen.

"Ah. Enemies of the state, then," surmised the Master.

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire," said Alfrid, every bit the worthless weasel I had expected him to be.

"Hold your tongue. You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" Dwalin interjected, stepping forward. At his words, the crowd around me began to buzz with noise. Thorin stepped forward, making himself known to the Master.

"We are the dwarves of Erebor," Thorin said.

The crowd whispered in shock and recognition, and I saw people all around me craning their necks to get a better look at Thorin.

"We have come to reclaim our homeland," Thorin said, stepping forward and turning to face the people. "I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the center of all trade in the North."

People began to nod in agreement, for though none present were old enough to well remember the time, they had heard the tales of prosperity now lost in time.

"I would see those days return," Thorin continued. "I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

The people cheered and clapped, and through a gap in the crowed I could see the Master looking on, calculating.

Suddenly, a voice called out over the crowd, and Bard stroed forward, people left and right parting to let him through.

"Death! That is what you will bring upon us. Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all," he warned.

The mood of the people seemed to change from one of jubilation to one of apprehension.

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!" Thorin called, rekindling the sparks of hope in the crowd. The Master looked on as the people cheered and applauded, his face beginning to twist into a dishonest smile.

"All of you! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?" Bard called in desperation.

A hush fell once more over the people.

"Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?" The bargeman asked.

There was a smattering of 'no's and shakes of the head. Bard continued.

"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

The crowd's mutterings grew, but were quickly silenced by the Master.

"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Bard. I saw Thorin's look of shock, before turning my attention to Alfrid.

"It's true, sire. We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark," said the talking weasel.

Bard turned to the crowed, but like the fickle beast that it is, the crowd turned on him.

"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!" Bard shouted at Thorin.

"I have the only right," The mountain King replied, before turning to face the master.

"I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" he asked. There was a pause. "What say you?" Thorin asked again.

The Master took his own time replying.

"I say unto you...welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

The Master opened his arms in welcome, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Bard looked on silently, and I rolled my eyes. How did they not see the logic in Bard's words. I didn't want the company stopped in their quest, and even I knew it was bad idea. As the crowd cheered around me, I tried to distract myself. Why? Because, subtle though it may have been, the signs of dragon sickness had already begun to present themselves.

I shuddered to think of how far the sickness would progress by the next morning.

The cheering continued for some time before the Master raised his hands to call for silence.

"Tonight, you shall dine with me. Tomorrow, you shall dine at the mountain!" he shouted, and the crowd cheered once more.

In the pandemonium, the guards loosened their restraining wall around the dwarves, and I slipped through, nearly bumping into Kili as I did so.

"Are you alright?" I asked, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"I've been worse," Kili said, tone lacking all of his usual easy confidence.

"Real drama queen this one, isn't he?" I said, gesturing towards the Master.

"Yes. A pitty he's not the least bit charismatic. Or attractive," Kili answered, attempting enthusiasm.

"I agree. The combover kills it for me," I said.

"Really? I was thinking of getting one," Fili joked.

"Don't you dare. I'll walk right away if you do," I said, crossing my arms in mock horror.

"You're marrying me, not my haircut," Fili reminded me.

"If I were Aria, I'd only be marrying you _because_ of your haircut," Kili put in. The three of us laughed, though Kili's turned to a grimace of pain before long.

"Catch up, your lagging," Thorin ordered us.

I turned to see that the rest of the company, along with the guards, heading up the steps and into the Master's hall. Fili supported Kili as we too crossed the excuse for a town square and began the steps.

"And what was all the hilarity about, if I may ask," Thorin said, standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Fili's getting a combover," Kili said, wincing as his bad foot hit a step.

"And when he does that, I'll be getting a new heir. Kili, how'd you like to be the next King under the Mountain?" he asked.

Kili muttered something about just wanting to get to the top of the stairs before taking another painful step upwards.

I watched from the foot of the stairs as the two brothers reached the landing and walked (slowly) inside, before following them. I made for the door, but was stopped by Thorin, who hadn't moved from his place at the top of the stairs.

"A great kingdom falls without a strong leader at its head," he said.

"So it does," I acknowledged, unsure where this conversation would lead.

"And yet, all but the elves grow old, and their rules must come to an end...Do you think I chose well, to leave Erebor's future in Fili's hands?" he asked, not turning to face me.

"I don't think you could have found a better ruler in all of Middle Earth," I said without hesitation.

"Hence my decision," Thorin said, and there was a pause that I was unsure how to fill.

"Yet," he said at last, "Fili has already made the first decision of his reign before even I have taken the throne."

"I...what decision was that?" I asked hesitantly.

"A decision I could never make for him. He has chosen his queen. A complete outsider with no knowledge of our customs, a preference of silver over gold, and no sense of self preservation whatsoever," he said.

I could feel a blush spreading across my face. Not a blush of embarrassment, but one of anger.

"Thorin, I'm not asking your permission, nor have I ever sought it. As you said, it's Fili's decision to make and I don't care what your opinion of me is, and as for the rest, I have a lot to learn, I know that, but I don't see how one less gold thirsty ruler is a disadvantage to Erebor," I said, barely taking a breath.

"If you'd have let me finish-" he started.

"I meant what I said, I don't need your approval."

"He has chosen well," Thorin said.

"I don't ca- wait, what?" I asked.

"Fili has chosen well in both a partner to rule by his side, and a mother to raise the future heirs of Erebor," Thorin said slowly.

"Thank you," I said, immediately relieved, for I had not expected such a positive reaction from him, and I felt a weight lifted off of my shoulders. I waited for a response, but when none came, I turned back to the hall and entered. I looked back, but Thoring made no move to follow me inside. I frowned, wondering why he chose to stand motionless at the top of the steps. That was before I saw what he was looking at. Through the shadows of night, and past the cloud cover of winter, a solitary peak was visible.

The Lonely mountain was nearly a day's journey away, but the treasure within had already begun to work its whiles on our hapless leader. I continued on alone, the elation of Thorin's approval long gone.

I could hear hearty laughter from within and It didn't take me long to find my companions seated around a long table with the Master at its head. Despite the less than pleasant circumstances of our first encounter with the Master of Laketown, the dwarves were in high spirits, eating, drinking and conversing in manner I had come to expect only from their race.

The dwarves were not the only ones at table, closer to the door sat Braga and a couple of other guards who appeared to have some clout, but they ate in relative silence. I noticed that only three seats remained unoccupied. The one at the Master's right hand was for Thorin, and I was left to take one of the only two left at the end of the table. I sat down in the seat on the very edge, leaving a gap between myself and the nearest guard, and began to eat.

I hadn't realized just how hungry I was until I bit into the fish that had been set before me. I hated seafood of all types, but I hadn't eaten anything in two days, and my tongue could hardly protest while my stomach growled so loudly. As I ate I watched the doorway, hoping Thorin would enter, but ten minutes later, he had yet to show himself.

I was beginning to drift off, when someone did indeed show himself...but it wasn't Thorin.

"We need to talk," said Albriech, taking the only empty seat.

I glanced at the other guards, who had begun a game of dice, and nodded.

"What is it?" I asked.

Now it was Albriech's turn to take a glance at the guards. Once he was sure that our conversation would enjoy relative privacy, he spoke.

"I tracked those two fisherman to the toll gate, and was able to take one aside on the pretence of searching him."

"And?" I probed.

"And I was right," he said. "Sniveling coward spilled his guts when I threatened him. It was mostly unintelligible, but I was able to gather some information," he said.

"What information might that be?" I asked.

"He and his companion are mercenaries whose leader recently sold their service to a pale orc, whatever that means. The orc promised them slaves after his kind took the land for their own. From what I've heard, those creatures have always talked about the coming of 'the age of the orc,' but-"

"But it's never actually happened," I cut in.

"That may be, but the mercenaries believed it this time, and since then, they've been in the service of this pale one," he continued.

"While this is fascinating, what does it have to do with me?" I asked.

"I was getting to that. The two from outside of town were recently given a very specific task, the explanation of which, he conveniently blubbered through. I did manage to catch some of what he said. Something about an orc pack chasing a group of dwarves. The pale orc gave their leader orders to kill you," he said.

"Kill me?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper, my eyes growing wide.

"I didn't get much more out of him than that, but yes. You're all wanted dead

"What should I do? I already knew we were being chased," I said.

"Those two won't be getting into town any time soon, but take no chances. Especially with the dark haired one. He's in no shape to fight, or to trek up to a mountain."

I just nodded in acknowledgement.

"How did you get all that out of him?" I asked.

"I asked some specific questions," he replied. "Oh, and should you need a healer, Sigrid keeps healing herbs from the surrounding area. You're more likely to find what you need in that house than in the town apothecary. I should go. It's getting late," he said.

"Wait. Why did you do that? You owe us nothing."

He seemed to think a moment before answering me.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? Nothing ever happens in this town. I have a feeling that might change, and I'd like to be on hand when it does," he said.

Without another word, he stood and pushed his chair back from the table. He exited quietly, unnoticed by most of the diners.

The rest of the meal past in discomfort, for the noise began to make my head ache, and the fish turned sour in my mouth.

I hoped that the dwarves would finish soon so we could all leave, but I had no such luck.

"When you've finished, just have Alfrid show you to your rooms," I heard the Master telling Balin quite loudly. I didn't catch the reply. The company of Thorin Oakenshield seemed to have no inclination to turn in.

Braga and the guards left only a short time after Albriech, and a half hour later, the Master left, followed by Alfrid, who skulked about his heels like an oily mut of the street.

"No, stay here. And don't leave until-" here the Master hiccuped "-they're all out of my dining room."

"Whatever you say, sire," Alfrid grumbled, before going to lurk in the doorway.

The dwarves, however, showed no sign of leaving, and I understood the reason for their merrymaking.

After all, they were so close to the mountain, and they were celebrating. I, on the other hand, was completely out of spirits. All I could think about was dragon sickness, hidden killers, and the uncertain future that lay ahead. Whether I was successful or not, this tale would come to its conclusion in a matter of days, and I couldn't even begin to fathom what would happen if I could not succeed. I couldn't even imagine what would happen if I did.

Thorin had brought to my attention something I hadn't really considered. While Kili had teased me by calling me princess, Thorin had placed before me an unchangeable fact. I might one day rule Erebor. I was completely unprepared for that occupation. I'd planned to head off to university for a degree in English. Not Kingdom Management.

This was one problem to many for my sleep deprived brain.

I groaned, and my head sank to the table, arm shoving my empty plate away to make room for my bushy hair.

The light was too much.

The sound was overpowering.

I need it to go away desperately.

"Aria," said a kind voice from behind me. I felt a hand brush my shoulder.

My hands clenched into tight fists.

"Aria, you're not well. Come with me," said the voice, and though I couldn't hear well over the noise, I recognized it as something only Fili would say.

I pushed myself to sit up straight, and slipped out of my seat. Fili put his arm around my shoulders and led me from the room.

"Where's Alfrid?" I asked.

"Who? The Master's weasel?"

"Mhmm," I said tiredly.

"He's up ahead, I've already spoken with him," Fili said. I felt immensely grateful, and utterly exhausted, but as the noise of the celebrating dwarves fell behind us, I noticed my headache begin to subside.

The hallway Alfrid led us down was dark, and I began to wonder where exactly we were going, when he stopped and opened a door. The room behind it was lit by a single flickering candle. Most of it was occupied by an old four poster bed that had been grand at one time, but now looked as tired as I felt.

A chest of drawers, on top of which sat the candle, was the only other piece of furniture in the room, save for a thread bear armchair sitting forlornly in the corner.

Fili thanked Alfrid, but the adviser just harrumphed and retreated back into the hallway, muttering something about having to do servants work.

"Here, take this off. I don't think I've seen you without it on in weeks," he said, helping to relieve me of my backpack, and setting it just inside the room, closing the door behind us as he did.

I walked over to the bed, and sat down, burying my head in my hands.

"Why does this entire town smell like fish?" I complained, aware of just how ridiculous I sounded.

Fili crossed the room, sat down beside me, and hugged me comfortingly.

"I hate it here," I said.

"We'll be gone by tomorrow morning, and glad of it," Fili reassured me.

"If we stay, nothing can happen. If we could only stay in this smelly, oppressed, boring town, we'd never have to worry about pale orcs or dragons again," I said, shaking my head.

"But you'd never do that," Fili pointed out.

He loosened his embrace, and I lay back, collapsing onto the coverlet to stare up at the ceiling.

"No, you're right. I never would. I'd never forgive myself, and besides, I've no respect for that idiot Master. Who came up with that title, anyway? Master of Laketown. You know, I wonder what would happen if the people actually picked a leader who treated them fairly," I said, my words slow, and edged with drowsiness.

"Who would you suggest? The guard you were speaking with at dinner?" Fili asked.

"Albriech? No, he's a bit of a prat. A helpful one, but still," I trailed off.

"When did you meet?" Fili asked.

"He helped me escape and sneak into Laketown. He has a thing for Bard's eldest daughter, so he was willing to help," I said.

"Clarify _has a thing for,_ " Fili said.

"Oh, clarify, um...he's in love with her," I said, momentarily trying to remember what the word "clarify" meant.

"So, if not the guard, then who?" Fili asked.

I turned my head to face him instead of the ceiling.

"Well, Bard," I said, having thought it obvious.

"Weren't you in the square? Did you not hear him shoot down our quest?" Fili asked.

"He wasn't wrong," I shrugged.

"Do you know what Thorin has done for our people? Unlike Bard, he is willing to go to any length to secure the wellbeing of his people. This quest is proof of that."

"Unless you're his injured nephew. Then he just watches your older brother try to help you up the stairs and does nothing," I retorted.

"What are you saying?" Fili asked.

"Thorin never came in. He's probably out there now, just staring at the mountain," I replied, yawning after I'd finished.

"Thorin does not have dragon sickness," Fili stated, the fact unquestionable in his mind.

"Fili," I whispered, not knowing what else to say.

"You aren't guessing, are you," he said, and I saw the realization on his face.

He sighed heavily and lay down next to me.

"How did we not see this coming?" he asked tiredly.

"There's no 'we' in that sentence. I knew this would happen. It's just shocking to see it in person," I said, voice catching in my throat.

We were silent for awhile but lost in our own thoughts. I was surprised in the changes of my own outlook. I would have to face the task ahead, and there was no way to avoid it...but I wouldn't be doing it alone.

I turned on my side to face Fili, looking at him through eyelids that felt heavier and heavier by the second. He looked just as tired as I was.

"When Thorin told me to guard outside the armory," I started, pausing to collect my thoughts. "He told me that hooting like an owl wasn't an appropriate warning signal," I said.

"So?" Fili mumbled.

"So, what'd you go and tell Bilbo to do at Trollshaws for?" I asked.

"That made no sense," he answered.

I don't remember anything after that moment, for sleep took me in its enviting arms, and did not surrender me to the world until early the next morning.

 **Well, Aria is back with the company, Albriech's motives are cleared up, and**

 **Yikes! dragon sickness is already taking Thorin. Off to Erebor!...Unless Aria takes a four-day nap and misses everything.**


	38. Wind before the Storm

**It's been a dreadfully long time since I've published a chapter. Spring has been exciting but busy, and I haven't had much time for anything of this sort...but, I'm back anyway.**

 **Chapter 38**

"Aria? Fili? Which one of you is in there?" called Ori from the other side of the door.

"It's Aria," I called back, waking with a start to find my head resting on a pillow and the comforting weight of a bedspread over me.

"Good. The boats will be ready in fifteen minutes, so you'd best be ready to go by then," he said.

"Thanks, Ori," I yawned, sitting up, much as it pained me to leave the warmth of drowsiness and slumber behind.

"Hurry, please. Thorin will leave you if you aren't there," he warned.

"Okay," I said, my eyes drifting closed.

When I heard his footsteps retreating down the hall, I sighed. There was no point in trying to stay in bed any longer. I was not going to take a page from Bofur's book and sleep in, so I swung my feet over the side of the bed.

To this day I don't know if it was very comfortable, but from the perspective of a traveler used to sleeping on the ground it was perfect and I was remised to slide out from beneath the covers and stand.

I stretched for a moment, wishing the aches would disappear from my back and feet, but dismissed the complaints in the end and crossed the room to collect my pack. As I did this, my memories of the night before began to surface. I had no memory of climbing into bed or of Fili leaving, so I assumed that both events had taken place after I had fallen asleep.

As far as I was concerned, I hadn't done anything to deserve someone so kind.

I tossed my backpack onto the bed and opened it. I had been wearing the same thing since Rivendell, and I intended to change.

While it was not made to be waterproof, the pack had done a good job of keeping my clothes dry, and once it was open I didn't hesitate in my choosing of a new tunic. There were only two clean ones left, and I had promised myself that I was saving the final one for later.

That tunic was white with encrustations of diamonds and bright blue sapphires around the neckline, the hem, and the cuffs of the sleeves. I wasn't going to touch that one yet...and I wasn't going to stain it either.

The outfit I chose for that morning was black with tiny jade embellishments. Putting on a fresh tunic and pair of leggings, and washing my hands, face, and neck in a basin of freezing water, all in record time, had me fully awake and ready for any challenge thrown my way within minutes.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. As I left the room behind, I realized that he same worries that had crippled me the night before still coursed through my mind. The only difference was that now I could process them. My first order of business was finding Thorin. I had to convince him to leave Kili behind. If he tried to make it to the mountain on his leg, his would miss Tauriel and surely die.

I felt guilty to pursue this course, but I knew that in his greedy state, Thorin wouldn't need much persuading.

It didn't take me long to find our leader. He was pacing back and forth impatiently at the bottom of the steps while supplies were being carried out of the hall by servants and guards alike.

"For once you aren't missing or late. I'm impressed," he greeted me as I hurried down the steps.

"Good morning to you too," I said.

"It won't be a good morning until we have left for the mountain. At the speed these men are going, we won't be on our way until noon," Thorin retorted.

"I wholeheartedly agree. But if it's speed you want, you aren't going to get it anytime soon," I said, choosing my words carefully.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Kili's injury is getting worse. If his condition continues to progress, he won't be able to walk, let alone keep a good pace," I said.

"You suggest I leave him here?" Thorin asked.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just pointing out the fact that if you aren't at the door for sundown, that's it. Your one chance to retake the mountain is gone," I said.

There was a silence between us that seemed to last forever. I turned back to the hall, anxious for Thorin to reply. I didn't want anyone overhearing our conversation.

"We do what is best for the mountain. If he must stay then so be it," he said, before continuing to pace and ignoring me entirely.

I thought a moment, before deciding that I felt no guilt for what I had just done. I repeated to myself that Kili would die if he went to the mountain.

Of course, unless I could do something, he didn't have a much better chance of survival than he currently found himself in.

* * *

The boats were loaded, and we were ready to set off. The crowd of people that had formed along the channel parted to let us through in a single file line. Each member of the company sported a new cloak, helmet, or both; gifts from the Master.

I had politely declined the old brown cloak I'd been offered and was now back in my slightly wrinkled red one, the clasp done up as loosely as possible. I knew it was unlikely that I'd be choked by it, but the scars on my neck were still too new, and I wouldn't forget my run in with the troll anytime soon.

Up ahead, I could see the icy water lapping against the docks.

I had a decision to make, and I had to do it quickly. I had come to a fork in the road. One path would lead me to Erebor. The other would lead me back to Bard's house.

All of a sudden, we stopped moving.

"Let us through," Thorin ordered from up ahead.

"Sorry, not till the Master's band is in place," drawled a nasal voice from up ahead.

Fili, who was further towards the front of the line, glanced back in my direction, hesitated, and then pushed back through the crowd to me.

I smiled as he reached me. I hadn't gotten the chance to speak with him all morning.

"We have to talk before this goes any further," he said.

"I don't understand," I replied, noticing the worry etched into his features.

"I want you to stay here," he said.

"What?" I asked, baffled.

"I won't try to force you, and it's ultimately your choice, but you would be much safer in this town. If we failed...If I failed, then I would do so knowing that you were safe. If we succeed, then you can come straight to the mountain," he reasoned.

I listened patiently. I understood his concern perfectly. If he died, he didn't want me anywhere near the thing doing the killing. I made my decision and the fork in my road evaporated.

"Okay," I said simply.

"Good...hang on, what?" he asked, frowning.

"I'll stay," I said, smiling cheerfully.

"Really? Just like that?" he questioned.

I nodded.

"Well, in that case, this could be the last time we-" he began, but I cut him off, placing my forefinger over his lips.

"It won't be," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," was my assured reply.

He sighed and appeared visibly more relaxed. The line began to move once again, and I stepped aside, letting the dwarves file past me towards the boats.

I had no desire to see Thorin reject his nephew, the evidence of the dragon sickness conspiring with my own suggestions would save Kili, but it was just more proof that the treasure of Erebor was at work within Thorin, warping his judgment.

For these reasons, I turned away from the channel as the last dwarf passed, and made my way back into the streets of Laketown. I wanted to get as far away from the departing company as possible, but though my legs carried me into the crisscrossing maze of docks, walkways, and rickety buildings, I could hear the off-key band of horns and trumpets heralding the beginning of the king's final journey towards the lonely mountain.

I paused half way across a small bridge and turned in its direction, a plan beginning to form in my head.

I had to find Bard's house.

I wasn't sure of just how this would get done, but I was determined to try. I remembered vaguely what the waterway in front of the house looked like, but not well enough to recognize the house.

I wandered through the streets, now with a mission. More than ten minutes later, I was still walking aimlessly.

"I don't believe it. I give you one suggestion, then get up the next morning to see you waltzing about outside my kitchen window," said Albriech's disapproving voice from an open first-floor window.

I ignored has manner and asked, "where's Bard's house?"

He didn't hesitate for of second before replying.

"Take a right, then two lefts. Try not to get killed on the way," he said.

"Have a good day," I answered sarcastically.

He scoffed.

"How did she fall in love with you?" I asked as if completely baffled by this occurrence.

"Well, if you're referring to Sigrid, she doesn't hate a soul. Why me? I'm still asking myself that question," he said, the frown on his face easing.

"Yeah, it isn't because of your manners," I said, before turning and walking away.

"Hey, you!" he called.

I just turned around, not saying a word.

"Right is that way," he said, nodding his head in the opposite direction to that which I had been headed in.

I rolled my eyes and turned around.

Minutes later, I was able to find the house in question, though I had been extra sure to check which directions I turned to get there.

I walked up the stairs in much the same manner as I had the day before, noticing the absence of spies from the boats in front of the house.

I knocked on the door and heard scuffling from inside and something that might have been the drawing of steel.

The door opened to reveal a stern-faced Bard.

"What, now? Am I going to have the entire company of Thorin Oakenshield back under my roof by sundown?" he asked.

"No, everyone else went to go reclaim a mountain," I said dismissively.

"A quest that could not bare worse fruit for this town," Bard said.

"That, I agree with," I said.

"I find that hard to believe, seeing as you came along with them," Bard retorted.

"They're stubborn to a fault. I'm only here to make sure that trait doesn't backfire on them too badly."

Lowering his voice, Bard said, "I'm afraid that for one of them it already has."

I gulped. I knew what he said was true, and that only directed me to thoughts of a second backfiring. One I had yet to halt.

"He's getting worse," I acknowledged.

Bard nodded and opened the door to me. I walked over the threshold and into the house, where I was greeted by Bain, who stood just inside.

"I'll be back tonight," Bard addressed his son, before hurrying out the door and down the steps.

Bain closed the door behind me and I surveyed the living area. The dining room table still took up much of the room, and I could see that a curtain along the wall. It usually would have separated the three beds beyond it from sight, but now it was drawn back, and the smallest of the three beds had been drawn out and now bore a fevered looking Kili. Oin sat on a stool beside him bathing his brow with a cloth dipped in a bowl of water that Fili was holding. Bofur had fallen asleep again and now sat on the floor, head drooping.

Not one of them noticed my arrival, and I didn't attempt to make it known, instead, I walked across the room and asked Oin if there was anything I could do to help but he shook his head.

I deposited my pack on the floor and sat on the next largest bed, and looked on in helpless worry.

Around a half hour later, Oin retired the towel and the bowl, saying that Kili's fever wasn't high enough to need a cool down.

"Well, that's good to hear," Kili said weakly, wincing as he attempted to reposition his head.

Oin went to clean the cloth in a pot of boiling water over the fire, and Fili and I followed him.

"I knew you'd never really let us leave you behind so easily," Fili whispered as we walked.

"It's true, I wouldn't," I said.

When we reached Oin, he straightened from his task and spoke to us in hushed tones.

"I don't understand this. I've treated many an arrow wound but never have I seen a case like this. Only a fraction turn nasty, and none as bad a this," Oin said, shaking his head.

"I'll bet you the arrow was tampered with," I said.

"Aye, I can't think of another explanation than that myself," Oin agreed. "I'll take another look at it to be certain," he said, before leaving Fili and me to stand by the fire and returning to Kili's side.

"That wasn't a guess, was it," Fili said.

"No," I confirmed.

Silence.

"Aria, is he going to die? Am I going to lose my only brother to an orc's arrow?" he asked.

I made eye contact and saw the desperation of one helpless to stop the inevitable reflected in their depths.

I shook my head, voice catching in my throat as I tried to answer.

"I-I can't tell you," I said.

"Why not? You've told me everything else," Fili demanded, anger finding its way into his demeanor.

"Because your reactions to events need to be genuine. I'm sorry, but I refuse," I said.

Fili sighed and tried to run a hand through his hair, stopping when he reached the clip holding it in place.

We didn't talk much over the next couple of hours, even when Bofur woke up. Kili just kept slipping further and further away from us.

I could tell that Oin, Fili, and Bofur knew Kili was sicker than they had ever seen him, but I sensed that I was the only one who could see the light leaving him, everything that made him the person he was slipping away into nothing. It was more than an infection, more than a wound, and it was growing more deadly by the minute.

* * *

Bard was still gone when Sigrid said that she was going to start on dinner. I was bored out of my wits by then, but moreover, I was terrified. It was for that reason that I volunteered to help. Sigrid accepted, seeing that Tilda had dozed off, and I joined her at the counter, by then I regretted my decision to be anywhere near preparing food.

"Could you start by peeling some of those potatoes?" She asked, pointing to a basket of them tucked under the table.

I nodded and worked through the task without causing havoc.

"Anything else?" I asked when I had finished.

"Could you grab the salt for me? It's below that cupboard," she said, gesturing.

I saw it and moved to hand it to her, having to lean up on tiptoe to reach it.

"Why do you have so many spices and herbs?" I asked. I could guess why, and easily too, but I wanted to know more about what had happened to Bard's wife.

"Oh, my mother was the best healer in Laketown. She always had a full store handy. After she died, I couldn't bear to let it run low. That is all I have to remember her by," Sigrid said, smiling sadly.

"Albriech said she healed him when he was young," I said.

"She healed many people that year. There was a sickness that spread through the town killing young, old, and frail people. My mother...she was protected from the sickness and that let her help a lot of people. That winter, after the sickness had all but vanished, Tilda was born. It was then that my mother decided her family meant more to her than the gift that protected her and prolonged her life. She gave up the gift, and I never remember her being so happy."

Here Sigrid paused, and I took that opportunity to ask a question. I knew where this was headed. It sounded too similar to the story that Albriech had told me about the elf that had ended elven visits to Laketown.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, Al got sick. He got very sick. The only way he would survive was with my mother's treatment, and since she had healed so many, we thought nothing of her visiting one more case. We didn't take into account the fact that she was no longer protected and while she was healing Al, she was taken ill. She wouldn't let any of us near her after that. She didn't want us getting sick. The Elvenking made an attempt to save her, thinking that he could provide her with healing care back in the Woodland Realm. She never made it there," Sigrid said, her voice reduced to a whisper, and a far off look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said lamely, unsure of what other consolation I could give.

"Why? You did nothing wrong," she said, shaking her head and turning back to a fish she was descaling.

"I shouldn't have pried."

"Really, it's nothing to worry about. Salt?" she asked, and I handed it to her.

Nobody ate much for supper, though it was well prepared, and Sigrid didn't seem surprised by this at all, telling me that it was no accident that the portions had been undersized. Fili ate nothing at all but knelt in ashen silence beside Kili.

After the plates were cleared, there was nothing left to do but wait.

The sun went down.

Somewhere out there Thorin had unlocked the secret door.

I felt my nerves awakened. I had always known that this would be a night of close calls and danger, yet somehow, I had become so preoccupied with Ravenhill and the battle to come that I had completely overlooked Smaug. I tried to doze off, but every time my eyes fell shut, I could see a dragon imprinted on my lids. Wreathed in flame and drawing ever closer to Laketown.

Bard arrived home shortly after sunset and apart from his children's relieved greetings, the mood was no less grim.

My companions grew more uneasy.

Kili worsened.

The moon climbed skywards.

* * *

The pain was becoming too much for Kili to bear. He moaned, in distress, and with every movement he made, another jolt of pain shot up his leg.

I poured scalding water from the kettle into a bowl, which Bofur rushed to Kili's bedside. I felt useless, helpless, and all prior knowledge of what was to come fled my mind. All I could think was that Kili was growing closer and closer to death, and there was no sign of reprieve.

"Can you not do something?" Fili asked. He was doing a poor job of concealing his panic, and now it saturated his voice.

Oin shook his head to this. "I need herbs, something to bring down his fever."

At this, Bard took a bag down from the medicine cabinet and began to rummage through it.

"I have nightshade, feverfew-" he began but was cut off by Oin.

"They're no use to me. Do you have any Kingsfoil?" the old healer asked.

"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs," Bard answered, confused.

Bofur seemed to perk up at this. "Pigs? Weed? Right," he said.

Pointing at Kili, he said "Don't move," and with that he was off, leaving the house behind.

I hoped for his speedy return, but he did not come.

Back to waiting it was. Only, this time, Kili was sweating and groaning and deteriorating before our eyes.

* * *

I was shaken from panicked shock by a quaking and reverberating. It was coming from the mountain.

"Da?" Sigrid asked though I could see from the fear in her eyes that she knew exactly what was going on.

"It's coming from the mountain," said Bain.

I turned to watch Fili as her left Kili's side for the first time in hours and spoke to Bard.

"You should leave us. Take your children; get out of here," he advised the bargeman.

"And go where? There is nowhere to go," Bard said in defeat.

"Are we going to die, Da?" little Tilda asked, her voice shaking.

"No, darling," Bard assured her.

"The dragon, it's going to kill us," Tilda persisted.

Bard gave his children a concerned look, and I could see wheels spinning behind his eyes. Another moment passed, and he reached up into a plant drying rack suspended from the ceiling and produced the black arrow.

None of Howard Shore's music blazed in the background, but it didn't take music to send a monumental shiver up my spine. That arrow was destined to seal the fate of the entire region and bring to a close, the chapter of exile in the lives of all Erebor's dwarves. Such an important piece of metalwork and it was mere feet away from me.

The sight of this arrow pulled me back from the story, and I was suddenly able to remember that the arrow was nothing compared to the people I shared this room with. Three members of the company of Thorin Oakenshield, two heirs of Durin, a dragon slayer, and a future king of Dale who would one day fight in the War of the Ring.

I was rooted to the spot, for it was only then that I was struck with my situation. Though I would not be heralded in the tales recalling this time, I was as much a key player in these events as any of the others in the room. It was time that I started to act like one.

These thoughts, that seemed to halt time had bombarded my head over the course of only a few seconds, and with my final resolution came Bard's words, echoing through my head and resonating about the small house.

"Not if I kill it first."

And he was gone into the night, with Bain close at his heels.

I snapped into action, hurrying back to the spot where I had dropped my pack, and I opened it quickly.

I had to think.

The leaves were the only part of the puzzle that had clicked into place. They could be used to make the one who consumed them fall into a death-like slumber, only awakened by the sunrise of the next day.

I mentally thanked my torn copy of Romeo and Juliet for aiding me with this bit of knowledge. So, how did it become useful?

I tapped the bottle with my fingernail until the answer came to me.

Of course.

These leaves were meant to ensure that the dwarves assumed their princes and king to be dead. They would bury them before sundown, and rise the next morning to find the three dwarrows among the living.

Or not.

They had all sustained mortal injuries, received on screen. If the trend continued, then I couldn't change a thing that was on the screen like their deaths had been, and making them fall asleep wouldn't help.

I had to find a way to change their deaths without actually changing their deaths. It had to be possible.

Think.

Think.

Think.

And think I did. For quite some time. I explored every possibility, but each failed.

I couldn't replace Azog's and Bolg's weapons with fakes. That was ridiculous.

I couldn't manipulate steel to be malleable and soft. That was impossible.

I couldn't let the orcs take their course. That was unthinkable.

Bain returned and paced the room in impatience.

Eventually, I heard a thud outside, and without really thinking, I asked, "Is that Bard? He couldn't be back already, could he?"

"I'll check," Sigrid volunteered.

"Oh, hell on earth," I groaned as I realized what I'd just said.

I stuffed the vial back into my pack only second before I heard Sigrid scream. She pulled herself back inside the house, struggling to shut the door on the orc that had dropped from the roof to land beside her.

I shoved my pack beneath the largest bed and stood, drawing my dagger from my waist. It was the first time that this had ever been my instinct.

"Stay down," Fili called to me as Sigrid's orc managed to bust its way into the house. At almost the same moment, two more orcs burst into the house, one through a small back door, and another through the ceiling.

I ducked back behind the bed, dagger still in hand. Everything in me was screaming to help, to get up, to move. I had to remind myself that my death ensured Fili's and Kili's. It was only that thought that kept me on the floor.

Then, through the screaming, crashing, and thudding, I heard a new sound. The sharp draw of steel.

I breathed a sigh of relief. No orc blade made that noise when pulled from its sheath. The screaming subsided and the thuds and thumps became more calculated, now accompanied by the sound of steel cutting cleanly through flesh.

* * *

Tauriel and Legolas had easily tracked the orcs to Laketown, biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to announce to the filthy beasts that the hunters had become the hunted. Tauriel had looked forward to this more and more as the day progressed. Tauriel was ready for the announcement, and she was perfectly ready to let her blade do all the talking.

The elves plan had been interrupted when Bolg and his foul battalion made their way into Laketown. Ideas of an ambush had been pushed to the back of Tauriel's thoughts. The only thing that mattered now was protecting the lives of the townsfolk that were now in danger. When a small bunch of orcs had detached themselves from the main band, Tauriel and Legolas had followed, until they were lead to a house.

The orcs had attacked and Tauriel could hear screams from within. Anger boiled within Tauriel's blood at the thought that these creatures were willing to attack completely random targets. Fueled by the noises of a scuffle emanating from the house, she made her entrance, thrusting her dagger into the chest of an orc that had been about to skulk through the door to join the fight.

Tauriel could see immediately that this was no random attack. She caught a glimpse of one of the older dwarves from the company, standing in the rubble of what once had been a kitchen table. This was all she had time to survey, before engaging. Tauriel made quick work of the first two orcs she could get her blades into and had time only to notice Legolas slipping through a hole in the roof before joining a third in battle. As

Tauriel gained the upper hand against a fourth opponent, she heard a shout of pure agony from some ways across the room and turned both out of instinct and in terror.

Her throwing arm acted almost of its own accord, hurling a knife into the chest of the orc that was standing over Kili.

The sight of him in pain but alive lent energy to her next movements as she dodged the sword of an attacker and used the wall behind her to get a running kick at the sword's owner, throwing it to the ground. She quickly dispatched yet another orc attempting to enter the house before dealing with the one on the floor and turning to deal with an opponent that had begun to cause Legolas trouble.

Tauriel began to wonder when they would stop coming as she knifed an orc attempting to kill Fili and a human boy. Her thoughts distracted her long enough that she let her guard down. This gave the orc behind her time to raise his sword. She whirled to stop the creatur and would have failed had Kili not taken that chance to stab the orc between the ribs.

Tauriel watched, shocked, as they both fell to the ground. The orc was dead, but for the first time, she could see Kili clearly, and she knew that he wasn't much better off than the orc beside him.

As the last screams died off, Tauriel breathed heavily.

 **Hmm, I bet we can think of an elf who fits the description of Sigrid's mother.**

 **Tik Tok, Aria, time is slipping, and you need a final solution!**

 **Tauriel seems to be attracting problem after problem. Kili's healing will come at a cost, and on top of everything else, the dwarves woke up a dragon.**

 **Oh, and brownie points to those who know where Tauriel's father got his advice from.**


	39. Is it fair? To trade light for life

**One eternity later...here's the next chapter. I wish it could be more often, but enjoy!**

 **Chapter 39**

Tauriel stood motionless in the doorway, collecting herself in the aftermath of the skirmish.

The boy, whose house this appeared to be, spoke, voicing the same shock that Tauriel was feeling.

"You killed them all."

Tauriel was opening her mouth to respond when Legolas reentered the house and spoke for her.

"There are others. Tauriel, come," Legolas ordered.

Tauriel's eyes widened, and she turned her gaze from Kili to her old friend, unable to believe that Legolas would ask her to abandon someone so sick, in order to chase a pack of orcs.

"We're losing him," the old dwarf said as Kili writhed on the ground. Tauriel could hear the desperation in his voice as he watched his companion dying before his eyes.

Tauriel felt a dead weight sinking through her chest and settling in the pit of her stomach. Some part of her, deep inside, hurt more than she could explain even to herself. And standing before her was her prince, instructor, and friend, expecting and ordering her to go.

But Tauriel couldn't do it. Two days ago, it would have been easy to leave. To follow Legolas and leave the wounded in the interest of hunting down the killer would have been natural. Not now.

Now, it was Kili lying there wounded, in agony, and it was the same dwarf whose laugh she had come to long for. She had only known him a short amount of time but never had she been able to converse with someone so freely and easily, and never had she met someone with whom she wanted to speak to all night. Yet, she'd done so with Kili and hadn't even noticed the time slipping away.

Now Kili was the one slipping, and when Legolas turned to go, just a moment after his order, she couldn't bring herself to follow.

Then, she heard heavy footfalls on the steps, and expecting another orc, she drew her twin blades and moved purposefully back out to the deck.

She stopped in her tracks, for below her, halted in his ascent, stood yet another dwarf. It wasn't the dwarf himself which immediately caught her attention, but the clump of weeds tipped with delicate white flowers that he held in his hand. She recognized them at once, and took the clump from the stunned dwarf, caressing the buds between her fingers.

"Athelas," she whispered, looking in awe at the plant before her. She had the chance to save Kili.

She knew the cost, and the only way to spare the young dwarf from the tendrils of darkness reaching out to enfold him...was to pay it.

"What are you doing?" the dwarf asked, staring up at Tauriel as if he'd never seen an elf in his life.

Tauriel heard Kili let out another heart-wrenching cry of pain and made her decision.

"I'm going to save him," she said in a voice that sounded both helpless and certain in itself.

"If there's aught you can do, hurry!" called the eldest dwarf from behind her.

Tauriel nodded once, and the wistful far off look disappeared from her eyes. Her mind flipped into battle mode, and her body followed quickly. She turned back to the house and began to issue orders, demanding hot water, clean linens for binding and for a clear space on the table.

"Move him to the table," she ordered, crossing to the fire where the youngest girl in the house was preparing hot water in an old pot over the fire.

"We cannot. The pain would be too great," the old healer argued.

"It matters not. Do it now," Tauriel ordered, her battle training helping to close her ears to Kili's shouts of agony as he was picked up and moved to the table.

The young girl brought Tauriel the pot of steaming water from the hearth and watched as the elleth dipped the clump of athelas into the water, disregarding the heat against her hands as she rubbed the plant between her fingers, releasing its wild aroma into the steam.

Tauriel tore the last bits of the herb and dropped them into the water, taking the pot from the frightened girl and crossing to the table, ordering the dwarves to hold Kili down as she did so.

When she reached the table, she set the pot aside and took hold of Kili's injured leg, pushing it to the table in an attempt to inspect it. Tauriel tried to conceal the look of panic that spread across her face when she saw the expanse of charred and blackened flesh that marked the place that fatal poison had entered Kili's body. The area around the wound couldn't have been more different, for it was pale, drained of blood and of life. Tauriel's resolve only hardened as she reached aside into the pot of water and athelas, and skimmed the surface, collecting a bundle of the athelas into her hand and pressing it over Kili's wound.

Tauriel was tempted to stop when Kili gave the loudest cry of pain yet, as the herbs made contact with his leg, but stop she did not. The words she began to chant in the old tongue of elvish were more of a plea than a healing spell, but Tauriel kept repeating the same phrase over and over again, Kili's shouts becoming less fevered and less frequent, though not because the chanting was helping.

Athelas alone could not bring Kili back from the place his fevered soul had wandered to, and Tauriel knew that only one thing could. It was for that thing that she pleaded, renewing her efforts.

It was then that she felt it, almost imperceptible at first, then growing to fill her. A surge of energy rushing through her, an icy fire that rocked her very core, fleeing her body through her shaky fingertips, and causing her to nearly lose balance. She rocked forward and back once, continuing her chant and strengthening her voice, though every fiber of her being was telling her to sag under her own weight.

Her voice lost volume as Kili grew still, for she knew that her plea had been answered, and she could no longer see the darkness radiating from Kili, but a light that sent shivers up and down her spine, for she had been told of such things, but never before had she seen with her own eyes the sight of someone to whom such a gift had been given moments before their life was to be taken.

All was quiet. Not a noise could be heard throughout the disturbed house, save for the relieved breaths taken by all within.

* * *

The moment Tauriel had ordered Sigrid and me to fetch something she could use as a bandage, we snapped into action. I had never been so panicked in my life and I was willing to do anything I could to aid her, and through her, Kili. I had stood, motionless, by one of the fw chairs left standing in the house, as Kili was moved to the table and Tauriel had gone to heal him.

I tried to remind myself that Kili would survive, but every time he shouted in pain, I was reminded that this very same dwarf had taken an arrow with little more than a grunt. How much pain must he have been in to shout as he did?

As Tauriel dipped her hand in the old pot to retrieve the kingsfoil, I clutched the linen that I had discovered, so tightly that my hands hurt. The scene continued to unfold as I thought it should, but when Tauriel began to chant, I was reminded once more of how woefully ignorant I had been. Though I thought the films had given me insight into the story, I was surprised over and over again.

The words I heard Tauriel speak that night shocked and shook me, more than anything had throughout my journey. The linens, which I had grasped so tightly until that point, fell from my hands to billow out upon the floor.

I sank back into the chair behind me, my right hand flying to cover my mouth as I gasped, and a tear escaping my eye. There was nothing I could do but watch, as Tauriel saved Kili's life, altering her own irreversibly in the process.

The words she spoke were elvish, of course, but now I could understand them as easily as I could my own tongue.

"Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth." A phrase spoken over and over again. One that translated to the words "May the blessing that was given to me be sent from me to him, may he be released from death."

There was only one blessing of which Tauriel could speak in that manner. A light that resided in all elves, a gift from which they derived their immortality. A gift that Tauriel had just given up freely and willingly.

To this day, those moments remain some of the most profound I have experienced.

* * *

The elder of the two girls residing in the house had retrieved a cloth from the floor where Aria appeared to have dropped it and torn it into strips for binding Kili's leg. Aria herself was bent over, elbows propped on her knees, head in her hands. Tauriel spared but a second to worry about her but turned her gaze back to Kili, who was already beginning to regain a healthy color. She took the strips of cloth and began to bind his leg but being forced to start anew twice when her shaking hands tied the bandages too tight.

When she was satisfied, Tauriel began to knot off the bandages. She felt Kili stir, and turned her gaze to his face and found his eyes opening. She went back to knotting off the bandage, and then began to rearrange the makeshift medical supplies, whereupon she was stopped by the sound of her own name, whispered faintly from the end of the table.

She turned to look at Kili, but not for long, before telling him to lie still and trying again to attend to the remaining athelas and the unused strips of cloth.

She was halted in her work once more.

"You cannot be her," Kili whispered, voice pained, not by injury, but by an incomprehensible loss.

Tauriel looked up from her work, confusion permeating her features.

"She is far away. Sh- She is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world."

Tauriel dropped her gaze to Kili, moved almost to tears, by his words. These were his innermost thoughts, words he might not have spoken, had he been lucid enough to contain them...and they were for her.

"It was just a dream," Kili mumbled, his brows attempting to knit together in a frown, but losing heart half way through.

Tauriel looked up, breaking their eye contact, but unsure where to turn. It was a light brush of her hand that brought Tauriel's gaze back to the table, to where Kili's hand reached up, his fingers slipping between hers, gently, slowly, as if he were afraid she might fly away at any moment.

"Do you think she could have loved me?" he asked, still looking at their intertwined hands.

Tauriel's eyes widened. For all of her dreams warnings and all of her own mental preparation, she could not have foreseen this. Because in her mind, it had always been Legolas, and her answer had always been a certain 'no.' Except that it wasn't Legolas who lay there before her, hand in hers, asking a question that she had been prepared to answer. Tauriel could feel her mind beginning its pre-battle ritual of emptying all emotion from her, but this time it was different. This time, she found herself fighting very hard not to say yes.

Tauriel had several reasons not to fall in love. She'd had the list running through her brain since Valaina had told her the meaning of that first dream. She didn't want to be tied to home with no chance of seeing the outside world, she didn't want a relationship with someone content in the monotonous life that the wood elves led, and she didn't know of a single person who understood her well enough to be her husband.

And when each of these reasons was applied to Kili, they fell to the ground, landing in crumbling piles around her...useless.

Everything about him made sense, and he fit into her dreams seamlessly. Fili and Aria's presences, the location of their homes outside the woodland realm, and even little Ella's appearance pointed to Kili as the missing piece of the puzzle that had haunted her night and day for over a week.

But Tauriel was hesitant. They had met so short a time ago, and she worried that it was foolish to fancy herself in love so soon, and as she thought about it, she did find one inconsistency between the dreams and Kili...her intended was a prince. Kili was not. So, the elleth was cautious. She would not deny that Kili made her feel something she had never experienced in her life, but she would wait. Maybe with time, something could come of them, but Tauriel was not the type to make hasty or rash decisions.

When she turned her gaze back to Kili's face, she found him asleep, with his fingers still threaded between hers. She let his hand go easily, and walked around the pieces of fallen furniture and exited the house.

Above her, the stars lit the night sky, twinkling brightly, as if laughing at the fruitless complexities of the world spread out beneath them. Tauriel stood in that same position, watching the dance of the night skies, for quite some time thereafter.

* * *

Fili took Tauriel's exit as a sign that his younger brother was indeed going to be alright, and he left Oin to retake his position beside Kili. I was still reeling from the discovery of what Tauriel had done, but I felt foolish for just sitting there, and worry for both Durin brothers had me out of my seat and crossing to the table.

"Why did you look so frightened?" Fili asked me, turning his focus from Kili to me as I reached them.

"For the same reason you did," I shrugged.

"But you knew he would make it," Fili said, almost questioningly.

"Yeah, I knew...but knowing is so very different from believing."

We didn't continue to speak after this exchange, for we were both exhausted by the events of that night. Fili put a comforting arm around my shoulder and we waited, resting, waiting for Kili to exhibit signs of waking.

A groan was the first sign we received.

"I think he's coming around," Fili said, coming to attention.

"You're right, he does," I said, smiling as my worry abated.

"Kili?" Fili asked, leaning in towards the table.

"You'll never believe the dream I had," Kili whispered, and immediately I could hear the tones of humor in his voice, assuring me that he would be alright.

"What was it?" Fili asked, grinning.

"We went to reclaim Erebor. We decided to bring a hobbit and a descendant of the Valar. We were captured by trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and then we were stuffed in barrels full of fish," Kili said, eyes still closed.

"Anything else?" Fili asked.

"Yeah. I think I died in the end," Kili said, wincing a bit as he tried to adjust his position on the table.

"Well, I can tell you in confidence that one of those things did not happen," Fili assured him, face darkening ever so slightly at the mention of his brothers' death.

"Yes," I put in. "Giant spiders? Whoever heard of such a thing?" I said teasingly.

The three of us laughed, though Kili's was significantly more quiet than his usual laugh. Still, it was there, and for that, I was immeasurably grateful.

"I take it I'm not dead, then. Er...was Tauriel really here?" Kili asked, finally opening his eyes.

"She still is. She's keeping a lookout on the balcony," I told him, throwing a glance in that direction to confirm that the elleth was indeed still there.

"Oh. So that's her name. I hadn't thought to ask," Fili said, following my example of looking in Tauriel's direction.

"So that's what famous dwarven hospitality is really like," I mused, hoping Fili would catch the sarcastic tone in my voice.

"She's an elf! And besides, there was never really any time to chit chat while she was locking me in her dungeons," Fili retorted, amused by my suggestion.

"I'm not so sure about that," I said, my grin turning impish.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fili asked, confused.

"Nothing," Kili said forcefully. "It's supposed to mean nothing," he repeated, trying to sit up.

"Wow, there. Lie back down, lad we don't want you passing out again," said Oin, ambling over to the table.

"If you two will excuse me, I'm going to check the lad's temperature," Oin continued, shoving his way past Fili and me with a cool rag in his hand. Fili and I stood back to make way for the old healer, and Fili pulled me aside as we did so.

"What you said to Kili, it didn't mean nothing, did it," he said in a low voice that Oin and Kili could not hear.

"No," I said simply, not inclined to give away too much. I didn't know what Fili's response to the idea that his brother was in love with an elf would be.

"I didn't think so. I remembered something you said to me very early on in our travels. I accused you of knowing what was to come, and you gave me three ridiculous predictions of the future. Do you remember?" he asked, and I could tell that he knew exactly what was going on.

"Yes. Thorin's goblin appreciation club, Dwalin's knitting, and Kili falling in love with an elf," I listed, the memory coming easily.

"They weren't all falsehoods, were they, Aria?" Fili asked, looking at me very intently as if ask me not to try skating around the truth.

"No," I said, shaking my head very slowly.

Fili chuckled.

"You know, if any dwarrow could go falling in love with an elf, it would be Kili," he laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"What?" I asked. "Have you got a problem with marrying outside your race?" I said innocently.

"Ask me that again on our wedding day. The answer is, and always will be, no," he said, reaching forward to tuck a lock of my hair behind my right ear.

"Yeah, but I'd be prettier if I were a dwarf," I said quietly, voicing a doubt I'd alway had, but never spoken of.

"No. You'd be absolutely wasted as a dwarf, and as to whether you're pretty or not...you could be no more beautiful if you were a Valar," Fili told me, taking on of my hands in both of his and kissing my knuckles.

I smiled and looked down. I'd assumed he thought I was pretty. Most people did find physical attraction in someone before consenting to marry them, but still, it was so very pleasing to hear him say it aloud.

"Ow," came Kili's vocalization of displeasure from behind us.

We turned in unison to see him standing, gripping the table with both hands, and wincing in discomfort.

"Kili, did you not hear Oin tell you to lie down?" Fili asked, dropping my hand and going back to his brother.

I quickly followed him as he admonished Kili for stepping down from the table so shortly after being healed.

"I've spent enough hours sick and crippled, I couldn't take it another second," Kili said, shrugging off the assistance Fili was offering him.

"You should still try to rest. Would you mind sitting in a chair?" I asked, indicating the seat I had vacated earlier.

"Just as long as I don't have to lie back down," Kili said, begrudgingly allowing his brother to help him over to the chair.

"It's horrid, isn't it," I said, as I turned the chair in Fili and Kili's direction.

"That's a gross understatement. Tell me this isn't going to last as long as that sprained ankle of yours did," Kili said, looking up at me imploringly.

"It won't," I said, throwing a glance around the room to make sure no one ws listening in. "Trust me," I concluded, glancing knowingly from Kili to Fili. Kili sighed in relief, while his elder brother nodded in understanding.

We spoke a bit after that, but conversation was soon replaced by tension. We all knew that Smaug had been awakened, the tremors coming from the mountain had been enough to solidify that fact in all our minds. We worried for our comrades and kin within the mountain, knowing that it would be a miracle if they managed to evade the dragon.

I remained the only one present who knew that the dragon's greedy and evil eye was searching, searching for a target. I remained the only one who knew that Smaug's eye would soon land upon our little town on the lake.

* * *

"Tauriel? That is your name, isn't it?" asked a voice from behind the elleth.

She turned to see that it was the elder of the two girls living in the house.

"Yes, that is my name, though I confess I do not know yours," she said, inclining her head towards the girl.

"It's Sigrid. I just wanted to say, that was very brave of you," the girl acknowledged, her voice falling as she spoke further.

"I assure you, it was no great act of bravery. We elves can easily handle a few orcs," Tauriel said, touching a hand to the hilt of one of her knives.

"No, I know that. I spoke of your healing Kili in the manner that you did. Forgive me if I am wrong, but athelas alone could not have healed a wound so severe as his. It can extract poison, yes, but it cannot bring someone back from the darkness that had taken hold of Kili, and that was no healing chant you spoke," Sigrid said, stepping past the doorway to stand beside Tauriel.

"You know more than most men on this matter, and yes, the herb alone could not have saved him," Tauriel said, turning her gaze back to the night skies.

"But I spoke only in the tongue of my own people, how do you know what I chanted?" Tauriel asked, intrigued.

"I speak the language of the elves. I was taught as a child, as was my brother," Sigrid said, and Tauriel looked back at her to find a sad smile touching Sigrid's face.

"Do all children of this town learn?" Tauriel asked quizzically.

"No, just the three of us. I...um...my mother, she was an elf. She was from your woodland realm. A healer. She used to collect herbs and take them here, to sell to the apothecary. She met my father and married him later that same year. She lived in Laketown until she got very sick and Thranduil-"

"We do not fall ill to diseases of men," Tauriel said, cutting the girl off, and shaking her head slowly.

"She gave up her immortality for us. Bain, Tilda, Da, and I," Sigrid clarified.

Then Tauriel noticed something about Sigrid that she had been simply too preoccupied to notice before that moment. The girl was definitely part human, her ears were nicely rounded at the tips, and she lacked the ethereal bone structure of an elf, but there was something not quite human in her wild blue-grey eyes, and her hair was so very familiar.

Tauriel searched her memory for the face of an elleth that resembled Sigrid's.

"What happened?" Tauriel asked, buying time for her frenzied thoughts.

"Thranduil whisked her back to the realm, but she was so close to death, Da says she couldn't have made it," Sigrid paused. "I was wondering. Do you know if she could, by some chance, have made it?" Sigrid asked, her eyes full of hope.

Tauriel continued to search. She didn't know of any elves who had left the Woodland Realm for extended periods of time, except for Valaina. Tauriel had been grieved when her friend had left the Realm and had missed her dearly until she returned from a week long patrol throughout Mirkwood to find Valaina in the sick bay as if she had never left. Now that Tauriel thought about it, she had seemed out of sorts, but Tauriel had thought that was due to her long travels, not to sickness...but looking at Sigrid, who shared her friend's dirty blonde hair and wild eyes, Tauriel wondered if Valaina was not the girl's mother after all.

"How long ago was this?" Tauriel asked, practically itching to hear Sigrid's answer.

"Around eight years," Sigrid said quietly.

Eight years. The same amount of time had passed since Valaina's return to the realm. Now, almost everything made sense. The only missing piece was the fact that an elf who had given up their gift would show signs of age...a gray hair, for instance.

"Her name was Valaina, was it not?" Tauriel asked, eager to know Sigrid's answer.

"How do you know?" Sigrid asked, her hands pulling her shawl more tightly about her, eyes widening.

"The elleth of whom you speak is no more dead than you or I. She resides in Thranduil's halls under the same orders of confinement as the rest of us," Tauriel said, breaking into a smile.

Sigrid's hands flew to her mouth, eyes tearing up.

"She lives?" Sigrid whispered.

"Yes, and would have returned to you, were we permitted to visit Laketown," Tauriel supplied.

She expected Sigrid to say something else, but the girl just backed up, towards the house, where she nearly tripped over the doorframe before turning and calling to her brother and sister.

Tauriel was reeling. She could barely begin to comprehend the events of the past few minutes, no, the past few days. So, Tauriel turned back to the one place where she could find clarity. The stars.

The tremor woke her from reverie. A dark spot was now visible on the horizon. All thoughts of mothers and fathers, dwarves and men, love and loss, were pushed unceremoniously to the back of Tauriel's mind. She might have been young and inexperienced in the ways of the outside world, but only a fool cannot recognize a dragon.

 **Kili's still with us! But you all knew he'd be fine:)**

 **Tauriel did WHAT? I can't believe she did that!...wait, yes I can. She's so selfless.**

 **On another note, she's too sensible. I just wish I could whisper "you love Kili, tell him," through the screen.**

 **Oh, Aria, she doubts herself so much sometimes.**


	40. And the lake will shine and burn

**Much takes place throughout this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. Please leave a review to let me know what you think of it, or just of the story in general. Without further ado...**

 **Book 3: The battle**

 **Chapter 40**

The bells began to chime throughout Esgaroth as the shadowy mass of death and fire drew near. The clanging tolls were soon joined by shouts of warning and terror. Fathers urged their children to climb into waiting boats, as mothers calmed their frenzied nerves. Crashes and scuffles could be heard from within dwellings as their inhabitants searched desperately for necessities or old family heirlooms. The disjointed harmonies of a town of anguished souls rose into the air, mingling with the tolling of bells to create a harsh melody of fear and panic. It was this sound that the dragon would devour first, gaining a desire for more as he grew closer and closer to Laketown.

Or, at least, that was my thought on the matter. I had excused myself from the company of Fili and Kili shortly after Sigrid had brought the good news of her mother's survival back to her siblings. I walked to one of the broken windows and stuck my head out into the night air, my elbows propped on the window sill, which was just right for my height.

The dragon had left the mountain and was nearly to Laketown, but I couldn't help the feeling of awe that came over my at the sight of the townspeople fleeing their homes like birds from a threatened nest. It was so strange, seeing them abandon everything as they did, for of the folk I could see, not one seemed to mind that their house would be burned to a crisp. Not one seemed fixated over protecting their territory. They seemed only to think of the people they needed to bring with them, and the memories of lost family members preserved in heirlooms.

It was only then that I understood one of the biggest flaws in the race of dwarves. These people could start a new life and never look back, their only focus would remain on their families and friends. Dwarves, on the other hand, would never forgive and invasion such as this, and they would certainly never forget. They would cross middle earth by treacherous roads, using whatever means necessary to reclaim their homes. It was simply how they were.

I could never be that way myself. The only true home I had ever found was not comprised of walls and a roof but of people and friendship. Maybe these people Laketown were the same way. They had almost nothing past bare essentials and thus were bound, not to a building, but to the hearts, they shared it with.

I couldn't help but think that this was the better way to live, but if it was to Erebor that my company journeyed, then I would follow.

I heard a deep rumble, like the thunderous purr of a cat readying to pounce on its prey, and knew that fire was upon us.

"We have no time. We must leave!" urged Tauriel, striding into the house with a sense of purpose about her.

"Get him up," Bofur told Fili, moving to help him assist Kili into a standing position.

"Come on, brother," Fili said, trying to aid Kili, who shoved him away.

"Come on, come on! Let's go," Bofur said, grabbing a blanket from the chair back.

"I'm fine - I can walk," Kili insisted, standing on his own and accepting the coat that Bofur offered.

"As fast as you can," Tauriel encouraged little Tilda, handing her a rag doll and helping Sigrid adjust her coat.

"We're not leaving. Not without our father," Bain said, standing between Tauriel and the stairs down to the dock.

"If you stay here, your sisters will die. Is that what your father would want?" She asked, handling the situation quickly.

From where I stood, I could see Bain hesitating momentarily before stepping aside to let Tauriel and his sisters through. I found my backpack after searching through some rubble near the beds, hoisted it onto my back, and followed the others through a door at the rear of the house and down some stairs to the little dock.

Bofur and Fili stood at the edge of the dock, helping each one of us into the boat.

Tauriel glanced upwards for a grim look at the gloomy night sky, before taking a position at the helm of the boat, and she was followed quickly by Bain. Bofur was last in, bringing with him two oars with which to steer the boat. He and Fili used them to push off from the dock, surrendering our fate to the dark depths of the Long Lake, as our vessel carried us tentatively into the open water of Lake Town's streets.

The beast came out of nowhere, sweeping directly over our heads and flying off to circle the town. The boat shook beneath us, and I bit my lip, fighting the urge to whimper in fright. Smaug had yet to breathe fire, but his presence over our heads had secured us to his will. With every wingbeat he continued to conduct a chorus of shouts, and when he turned, chest illuminated like a bright gem in the sky, the baton was raised, for the finale was about to begin.

Flame burst forth from the mouth of the mighty dragon, sweeping across a section of the town, devastating all in its path. Though it missed us by a long shot, I could feel everyone around me tense as Smaug passed.

The dragon's second sweep of the town, missed us by only a couple of yards, causing everyone in the boat to turn our heads back sharply, hearts in our mouths. Following this encounter, Tauriel was twice as careful in letting the boat go further.

It was several tense minutes later, that her concentration lapsed.

"Watch out!" Bain shouted as we hit the oncoming barge. Tilda screamed and I took in a sharp breath as our boat tipped dangerously. Once the vessel had stabilized, I noticed the look of utter contempt on Tauriel's face as the Master and his weasel of an advisor floated past us on a barge that was big enough for several families, but which held gold and treasure instead.

As he ordered his guards to row faster, I found consolation only in the reality that anyone on that barge would be crushed soon...better it be gold and not people. After the Master had passed, Tauriel ordered Bofur and Fili to row us across the channel, and once they had obliged, she stopped the boat underneath a house raised on stilts.

"The foundation of this house is strong. Anything short of Smaug landing on it would leave the floor intact. We should stay here a while," Fili suggested, looking up at the structure beneath which we were now hidden.

"Very well. A short rest, but not much more than that," Tauriel affirmed, bringing the boat to a stop by placing a hand on one of the beams holding the house up.

Tauriel had been in earnest, for not much time had passed when she began to let the boat inch forwards to the edge of the building. We had only just reached the edge of the protection of the building when the water before us was bathed in flame. A hot dry wind blew the hair from our faces and caused Tilda to double over, burying her face in Sigrid's skirts. The elder girl did her best to soothe Tilda, stroking her hair and whispering something to her that none of the rest of us could hear.

Tauriel pushed us back out into open waters, calling "keep straight," to Bofur and Fili.

"But we can't do that! The way ahead on fire!" Bofur exclaimed as if the idea were absurd.

"Everything's covered in flames, master dwarf. Our best chance for survival now is evasion," Tauriel explained, turning her head to face the indignant dwarf.

"Bofur, she's right. The chances that Smaug will come back around here so soon is minimal. It really is our best shot," I pleaded, my hands clenching into nervous fists in my lap.

"Fine," Bofur sighed, dipping his oar back into the water.

Fili quickly followed suit, and thus we began to pass through the bright red ruins of a once grey town.

I looked around, trying to recognize our surroundings, but found that any distinguishable characteristics had been turned to ash or burning wood. Then, I found one building that I did recognize.

"The watchtower, look," I said, nudging Bain.

He turned his head, following my gesture, and gasped. Atop the watchtower, firing arrow after arrow at the circling dragon, was Bard.

"Da?" he asked, voice suddenly more frightened than I'd heard it all night.

Tilda heard, and yelled for her father when she caught sight of him. Everyone's attention was now fixed on Bard and his efforts to slay the winged serpent. For some time, no yield came of his fight, yet upon Smaug's next pass, he seemed to strike home!

"He hit it! He hit the dragon!" Kili shouted in amazement, eyes widening.

"No," Tauriel whispered, face unbelieving.

"He did. He hit his mark, I saw!" Kili insisted, turning to Tauriel.

Her response was pained, but certain. "His arrows cannot pierce its hide; I fear nothing will."

At was at that lucky moment that I saw Bain's face change. I followed his line of sight and there was a statue of the Master, standing tall. I recalled that Bain had hidden the last black arrow in a fishing boat near that very spot. Bain saw his chance and grabbed hold of a hook as we passed beneath it, swinging out of the boat, much to the distress of his sisters as well as the dwarves.

"Leave him, we cannot go back," said Tauriel amidst the shouts of "Bain!" and "come back!"

I mentally retraced Bain's steps from the films, trying to guess how long it would take him to get the arrow to Bard. I stood and picked my way to the back of the boat, hoping to catch a last glimpse of Bain.

"Hold up there, lass. Where do you think you're off to?" Bofur asked.

"I just want a better view, I'm not going to jump ship," I said, reaching the back of the boat and crouching down to regain my balance. Just before Tauriel gave the order to turn, I saw him. Running along one of the few walkways still intact, and clutching the long black arrow in hand, Bain sprinted towards the watchtower.

"Tauriel," I called, gauging our surroundings.

"What is it?" came her measured reply.

"We need to keep out of the path of that watchtower. Something tells me Smaug won't worry about smashing buildings once he notices Bard," I reasoned.

Tauriel nodded. "Steer right," she said, addressing Bofur and Fili.

The turn took us away from the watchtower, and back into the smaller waterways, where we found relative safety.

It is odd, the things that can pass through your mind during situations of crisis. In the moments of respite we received in those watery backways, all I could think of was how much our situation reminded me of a game I was forced into playing for gym class, back in my early years of school. My classmates and I would hide for as long as we could. Only, unlike a classic game of hide and seek, we could switch locations as often as we chose. We were only considered 'out' when we were found and had been chased down and tagged.

It was a similar situation that which I found myself in now. We could only sneak around the burning town for so long before our location was discovered and we were forced to run. Luckily, Bard would prevent that part of our dangerous game, putting the dragon out of commission permanently.

Another crash met our ears, and I turned sharply to see that the top of the watchtower had been smashed away and now lay in shattered remains somewhere beyond sight.

Smaug circled low before crashing into the buildings, shaking the town with a tumultuous roar. Through a space in the houses, we could see his bits of his sinewy body snake past us, heading straight for the watchtower.

"We have to go, now! Quick, while he's occupied. We can make it to open water," said Tauriel, in a tone of command and urgency that was not to be disobeyed.

The ores were engaged once more, and as Smaug confronted Bard, we slipped through the waterways.

* * *

I stood, stunned, at the edge of the lake. Cold water lapped around my ankles, soaking my shoes and washing the dust and dirt of travel from them with the ebb and flow of the water. I was still reliving the events of the night, over and over again. The people running from their homes, the fire lighting the night as it burned the city. The quake that shook every vessel on the lake as Smaug the dragon fell into darkness.

In the interest of safety, we had spent the remainder of the dark hours in the boat, floating some distance from the shore, for terror has a way of doing funny things to people, especially when dragons are involved. Thus it was, that we decided to stay on the water until the less than amiable survivors lost the cover of darkness.

We'd also planned to sleep in shifts of one hour each, but at some point during the night, this decision had been overruled. I woke to find that Tauriel and Fili had split the watch between themselves, their reason being that they were the two most apt fighters and they coincidently had the best eyesight. Kili hadn't responded well to that and neither had I. Kili knew that both his brother and Tauriel had been too worried about his health to let him take a watch, and I knew that everyone in the boat was perfectly aware of my pathetic fighting abilities.

Though the scene before us was anything but peaceful, we'd pulled into shore as the sun rose over the mountains. The four dwarves, led by Oin, had insisted on helping some of the less fortunate survivors and administering medical aid. Tauriel, who seemed to feel responsible for the well-being of Bard's daughters, had taken Sigrid and Tilda to look for their father and brother.

I had been left to guard the boat.

This had bothered me, but even after the hours of sleep I'd gotten, I had too much to think about. I was unable to fit indignation into the long list of thoughts and emotions currently stewing in my brain. I finally began to find peace standing there on the shore, one hand firmly on the boat and both feet in the freezing water.

"What are you doing? Alone again, standing ankle deep in a freezing lake, and unaware of your surroundings," said a familiar voice from the shore.

"You again," I said as Albriech strode towards me.

"Yes, and, once again, I am frankly surprised that you're still alive," he said, adjusting the load of firewood in his arms.

"Me too," I said, kicking the water in front of me.

"Do you need help moving that boat?" he asked, gesturing in its direction.

"No. I'm fine, thanks," I said, patting the boat with one hand.

"Do you need help finding your parents?" he asked condescendingly, once again reminding me of my obvious youth.

"Never will. Success does things to people, and I don't think they're recognizable as my parents anymore," I said, shaking my head.

"That, I can understand. My father's guardship changed him, especially when he started climbing in the ranks," Albriech said, his tone suddenly more understanding.

"I'm sorry," I said, lamely, unable to think of anything else.

"What for? Just do yourself a favor and never try to follow in their footsteps," he said, looking disdainfully at his battered guard uniform.

"Oy, Al! Bring that wood 'ere, will ya?" called one of the older townsmen.

"Good luck," Albriech said curtly.

"And to you," I replied, nodding.

He left and I went back to thinking. Al was one of the more interesting people I'd met on this journey, and now that we had something in common, I didn't want to slap him across the face quite so much. Besides, I was intrigued to see him around Sigrid. I was just wondering what kind of a couple they made when my companions returned, along with Tauriel, who was no longer accompanied by Sigrid and Tilda.

"Are you ready to go?" Fili asked as he reached the boat.

"Yes, please. I think I'm ready to see Erebor for myself," I said, trying to look excited.

The truth was, I was tired. I wanted to see Erebor, yes, but more than that I wanted this to be over. While I could distract my thoughts with guesses about my acquaintances love lives, I was still tense. Still worried.

"Do you not wish to go on?" Fili asked, seeing the shortfalls of my attempt at happiness.

"It's not that. Of course I want to go on...I just don't want to go too far," I said quietly, and it was true. If I could freeze the time and stop that battle from coming, I would.

"I'm not sure I-"

"I'll tell you later," I said, cutting him off and taking a look around to see that Oin and Bofur were within hearing range.

Fili offered me his arm as assistance, helping me into the boat, where I sat with my back propped against the stern.

I judged that at about this time, Tauriel and Kili would detach themselves from the group.

* * *

After separating from Valaina's daughters, Tauriel quickly found the dwarves, though she had no remaining obligation to them. Oin, the old healer, was putting a makeshift splint on a woman's arm. Bofur, the dwarf who had brought the athelas, was binding a gash in a man's leg with some of the cloth they had brought with them in the boat, and Fili was telling the very same man that he was not going to bleed out, even if that's what the Master's advisor had told him once.

Tauriel wasn't overly interested in any of these cases. They were all alive, and with only minor injuries. She was more interested in finding Kili. He had shown no signs that he actually remembered what he had said to her while she had bound his leg, but there was an ever increasing part of Tauriel's mind that not only wished he would remember his words but wished he would repeat them.

"No, she hasn't. Sh-she promised me she'd meet me here, but I can't see her," cried a child's voice.

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. We'll find her, don't worry," replied a sincere voice that Tauriel immediately recognized as Kili's.

"No, she isn't here! The monster took her away, I know it," the child cried, and Tauriel looked around until she saw them. Kili was on one knee, wrapping a blanket around the shoulders of a girl sitting on a crate who couldn't have been more than five years old.

"I'm sure your mama is alright, but you won't be able to find her with tears in your eyes," Kili said kindly.

The girl sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. It was then that Kili looked up and noticed Tauriel.

"But what-what if she really is gone? Dead, I mean," the girl said, face threatening more tears.

Kili paused before answering, and Tauriel could tell he was trying to make her situation less terrible than it already was.

"Do you know anyone who has died?" he asked carefully, glancing back at Tauriel as if for approval. She closed the distance between them as the little girl nodded.

"My da, last winter," she said, sniffling.

Tauriel saw an indescribable emotion pass across Kili's face, but he seemed able to contain it for the sake of this poor child.

"Well, I can bet your mama misses him terribly," Kili said to the girl, shaking his head.

The girl just nodded and sniffled.

"Then there you have it. If that monster did take your mama away, then she's gone to live in a happy place. Your da's there too, and she doesn't have to miss him anymore," Kili said, a smile spreading across his face as the girl's eyes widened with hope.

"Really?" she asked, straightening up on her crate.

"Really," Kili confirmed, glancing once more to Tauriel.

The child's elation suddenly evaporated.

"But I won't see them anymore," she said mournfully.

Tauriel took this opportunity to speak.

"May I sit?" Tauriel asked the girl, gesturing towards the crate.

When the young one slowly nodded her assent, Tauriel sat down on the fairly sizeable crate beside her.

"When I was not much older than you, my mama and da were taken away from me by some creatures almost as scary as the one from last night. Whenever I started to miss them, I'd look above me to the stars. Those twinkling lights would remind me of their laughter, and I knew that they were in my heart, even though I couldn't see them," Tauriel told the girl, giving her the only help in the face of grief that she knew.

"But I can't see the stars now," the little girl said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"That is only because the sun is so bright. The stars are like the ones we have lost. Even when we cannot see them, we know that they are there," Tauriel said, her voice catching in her throat as she finished. For here was a child who reminded Tauriel so much of herself. Scared and alone in the world, with nothing but precious memory to guide her.

They were then approached by an older woman with gray hair and careworn features. "Coriander, there you are," she said, catching sight of the little girl.

"Who are you?" Kili asked, standing to block the crate from the woman's path.

"The wife of a tailor, and friend to all children in this town. Coriander's my neighbor, and I mean her no harm," the old one said sternly.

In response to this claim, Kili turned to face the crate.

"You know her?" he asked.

Coriander nodded and Kili moved aside for her as she pushed herself off of the crate and took the hand that the old woman offered her.

As the two walked away, Tauriel watched them until she heard Kili sigh heavily.

"You're bothered," Tauriel said, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side.

It was a moment before Kili turned to answer her, for at first, he seemed too pained and too angry for words.

"No child should have to hear those words at an age so young," Kili said, shaking his head.

"Yet, if someone like you had spoken those words to me when my parents had died, I would have found comfort. You did well, Kili," Tauriel told him in an attempt to ease his mind.

"You're too kind, and you grossly exaggerate my abilities. Besides, I wouldn't have been here to say anything if it weren't for you," he said, smiling at her.

"I did what I had to," Tauriel said quickly, her voice drained of emotion. She was still unfamiliar with her new state of being, and though she didn't regret her decision for a second, she knew that she would soon have to make an important decision. Her time was now precious to her, and she no longer had generations of time to decide what she wanted to do with her life and where she wanted to go. So, she hid her uncertainty.

"You saved my life...again. I'm now thrice indebted to you," he told her, the hint of humor that had been missing since his injury returning to his voice.

"You owe me no debt," Tauriel said abruptly, standing from the crate and putting inches in height between Kili and herself. He didn't seem to notice.

"Kili, Tauriel! There's a woman over here needing help with her boat. Could you manage?" Bofur called, from some way down the shore. He was assisting a limping man who had seen many a younger day and clearly needed assistance.

"We can!" Kili answered immediately, and Tauriel knew that he was so willing, partially because he was sick and tired of being, well, sick and tired.

Tauriel found their task easy, and she was surprised at how well Kili was able to cope with pushing the weight of the boat. Tauriel didn't like to admit it, but he actually did most of the pushing and shoving that was required to get the boat completely out of the water. During this time, she spoke not a word to him and didn't make eye contact once.

"Tauriel," Kili called to her as she made to walk away from their completed task.

She turned to face him.

"Have I done something wrong?" he asked.

"No, you have done nothing wrong," Tauriel answered coolly, stopping in her tracks, and turning to see a look of genuine worry on his face.

"Is it impolite to offer an elf service in payment of a debt?" he asked.

"Of course not," Tauriel said.

"If this is because you left your prince to save me, then I'll apologize to him myself," Kili said, and that comment impressed Tauriel, for she knew the naturally proud and unapologetic side of dwarves.

"Legolas cannot make my choices for me. I do not regret staying behind, nor do I feel the need to excuse myself for doing so," Tauriel said.

"I'm usually much better at guessing than this," Kili remarked quietly. "What is it?" he asked in the end.

Tauriel paused a moment before walking back to the boat they'd just pulled to shore.

"I-I don't have time. For all my ambitions of travel and independence, I don't have time. I cannot experience all that I wish to in so short a period," she said, looking out over the lake.

"I have a simple solution," Kili said. "You're an elf, you're immortal, do what you wish without being wounded to the point of death."

"Kili, I have not the time that others of my race are gifted with," Tauriel retorted, lowering her gaze to meet his.

"But all elves have the gift of immortality," Kili said, assured in his knowledge.

"Yes, but not all keep it," Tauriel said, smiling sadly.

"Like Bard's wife," Kili said. "And...you," he added, again sure that he was correct.

Tauriel nodded, of course, he was right, she only wished to conceal the knowledge of just why she had lost her gift. Tauriel was about to say that she was no idea as to what she should do with her time when Kili spoke again.

"You feel trapped. As trapped as you did in the Woodland halls. You now face the task of deciding on a course for your life and keeping it. Am I wrong?" he asked a crease in the middle of his forehead denoting concentration of thought.

"No, you could not have been closer to the truth. But dwarves experience nothing like this, and neither do elves. Valaina's situation is completely different, for she was married and with children when she gave up her gift. This will be no certain path," Tauriel said, all of a sudden uncomfortable at the amount of time in this conversation dedicated towards her struggles.

"Is your leg any better?" she asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Mmh," was the only answer she got from Kili, who was absorbed in thought. A minute passed and Kili leaned against the boat.

"Tauriel," he said at last, speaking slowly as if his mind were still working through the problem at hand. "I don't believe it is a path that you're looking for. Or travel, for that matter. You could have a thousand years left on this earth, and you wouldn't find anything if you didn't know what you were looking for."

"What do you mean?" Tauriel asked, apprehensively at his words. Of course, she wanted to travel. That's what she was looking for.

"Thranduil's halls were a poor substitute for the home you had with your parents. You've always dreamed of leaving, but now that you're here, you feel just as trapped as ever," Kili said, pausing once more. "I don't think it's travel that you're looking for. It's a home."

Tauriel hadn't realized it until that moment, but he was right. He had been able to see her desires when she herself was too blind to see them.

"Then I shall travel with a purpose," Tauriel said.

"Home isn't always a place you can travel," Kili warned her.

"It was for you," Tauriel remarked.

"The halls of my ancestors," Kili said, with a reverent look towards the mountain. "It was ours by right so we took it back. But it didn't become a home until it became the dwelling of my kinsmen again. Shelter and riches aren't enough to make a home, you know that," Kili said, looking her directly in the eyes.

"Of course I do. I only hope that I may come to find a home where the people are as agreeable as the place," Tauriel said, turning to walk back towards the boat in which they had sailed from Laketown.

Kili accompanied her, and she slowed her stride to accommodate his limp.

"You are strong, beautiful, and kind to a fault. I know that no matter where you choose to make your home, the people will find you as wonderful as we do," Kili said reassuringly, and Tauriel felt the tips of her ears go red.

"I am...flattered. However, I am not sure that your companions share the sentiments that you have just expressed," she said shakily, trying to divert the conversation away from the fact that Kili had just complimented her more richly than anyone in the Realm ever had.

"Well, then it is their loss that they do not truly see you. If I cannot speak for my companions, then I must speak only for myself, and I fully believe that what I said of you is the truth," Kili told her in earnest.

Tauriel was quite sure that her ears were now on fire. Was it possible that he was telling the truth? Few were so straightforward as he was being, and she barely believed that it wasn't an act...but she believed, and liked Kili all the more for it.

Only, she was not certain that friendly partiality could explain the way she felt about Kili. Not anymore.

Tauriel was about to reply, when they were joined by Fili, Bofur, and Oin.

"You finished the boat without trouble?" Bofur asked Kili.

"We did," Kili said simply, looking strangely conflicted. When Tauriel noticed this, Kili turned away to watch the lake as they walked.

"And your leg?" asked Oin.

"Better," was all that Kili said.

"Good, good," nodded Oin in approval. "You gave us all a right scare last night. For a few minutes I was thinking I'd have to tell Thorin that I'd lost him an heir," Oin finished in a relieved tone.

Tauriel nearly forgot to take her next step.

"Heir?" she asked, unable to think of a full question.

"Thorin never had children so he gave us the right of succession. Kili and I are his legal heirs, princes, technically," Fili explained.

Tauriel tried to internalize her shock as she nodded to show her understanding of what Fili had said. She glanced over at Kili, who still seemed troubled, and then turned her attention to the shore ahead.

That was the only thing missing.

One final piece of the unexpected puzzle that Kili had been so easy to solve, had fallen into place.

Tauriel found only uncertainty in this knowledge. Everything made sense, but even though choosing the uncertain path that had just been presented to her seemed tempting, Tauriel was a creature of habit.

Years of training had taught her to approach uncertainty slowly, and with a blade ready in hand. She had been trained to heavily to rush into an uncertain situation without hesitation, and though she made the decision subconsciously, this instance would be no different.

 **Laketown burned, taking Smaug with it. It couldn't get any worse for the people of Esgaroth...oh, wait.**

 **Well, Albriech and his cloud of dark unhappiness survived. Not sure how I feel about that, you?**

 **Oh, my heart breaks for little Coriander. I really hope Kili and Tauriel were able to help her. She really was too young.**

 **Well, Tauriel has figured something out. I think Kili's ready, but is she?**


	41. Stone promises and winged messengers

**Yes, yes, I know. It's been an excessively long time since I posted a chapter. Life decided to take up all my time and has only now given me some of it back so I can write. Enjoy! (or, if you're like Dwalin, tolerate!)**

 **Chapter 41**

He was a prince of Erebor. A prince whose existence had brushed her dreams until the day her eyes first fell upon him. Valaina had told Tauriel that the dreams were about her future love, but she had rejected the idea and had not sought out the subject of those dreams. She had been on her guard since the first dream, so adamant in her refusal to fall for a male of any race.

But Kili...she hadn't planned for him. Idiot that she was, she hadn't planned for the dark haired dwarf to circumvent her defenses without trying to do so.

Days later she'd given up immortal existence rather than see him die.

And then she'd found out he was a prince. She didn't give an orc's corpse about his rank, but in that forest dream, Fili and Aria's child had called her _Aunt Tauriel_. In the same dream, Fili had called her husband _prince._

Now...now Tauriel watched as a boat bore him away. Now she convinced herself that she'd done the right thing in letting him go.

Her boots too heavy to lift from the wet sand and her hand clutched tightly around a small dark stone, Tauriel stood watching as the dwarves of Erebor put out into deep water.

Just like that, he was gone. Now she was back where she had been before Lake Town, before the barrel escape, before the word dwarf could mean friend.

"We should find higher ground."

Legolas. That name had meant friend for centuries. Friend, trainer, brother, leader, but now…now Legolas' voice was as welcome as a pitcher of icy water over her head. She was reminded over and over again that the last time Legolas had ordered her to follow him, he had known that Kili would die when she did.

Tauriel had half a mind to walk in the opposite direction. But her voice of reason, the half of her that had trained in discipline for years, won out in the end.

 _Obey. Then decide what you feel and move on. This world has no place for indecisive elleths._

That would be wise. Follow her orders, but leave her mind to ponder the questions that had begun with the dreams and continued to that moment.

As Tauriel strode up the beach, auburn hair whipping out behind her in the morning breeze, she contemplated just how out of her depth she really was. She was a fighter with little practical experience in the field of romance and an old book of tales that hardly emphasized relations between elves and elleths.

As she tossed sand from the tips of her boots, it occurred to her that maybe her knowledge of combat could aid her in this new endeavor.

Five strides up the beach and several seconds of fruitless contemplation brought Tauriel to an inescapable conclusion.

Battle tactics were useless when it came to dark haired dwarf princes.

On the beach, there had been no need for knives and a damage assessment. There had only been the desperate and heartfelt invitation to a new life. She had been so tempted to take it. She had been so tempted to let Kili's reassuring eyes guide her to the mountain and the life of adventure it promised.

But then Legolas had brought her back to the reality of the world. He always seemed to do that...and Tauriel didn't appreciate it as much as she remembered.

"When did you last eat?" Legolas asked, turning to face her as they reached the place where sand met sparse grass and beach gave way to rock and hill.

"I can't recall. Not in these past hours," she replied, lending little emotion to the response.

"Then we should find some. These people are vulnerable and if we're to offer any protection we need energy," he said, eyes sweeping the beach.

Tauriel wasn't hungry. She pursed her lips and turned her back on the prince, leaving the silence unbroken. Legolas continued his survey of the stranded townsfolk.

Tauriel's thoughts wandered back to the beach.

Kili had said something just before Legolas arrived. He'd said something that, in the end, had kept her on the beach and away from the departing boat.

"Amrâlimê," Tauriel whispered thoughtfully, opening her palm enough to see Kili's runestone.

"What was that?" Legolas asked, causing Tauriel to close her fingers tightly around the stone, hiding it from view.

"Only a word I do not understand," she said, shaking her head.

"Slow thinking is a side effect of hunger. Do you think it would be wise to forage?"

Legolas wanted her answer.

She gave her _yes_ simply and turned towards the woods.

Tauriel hadn't been lying to Legolas. She didn't understand the word that Kili had spoken to her before his departure. She was certain that _amrâlimê_ was a word expressing love.

Yes, she knew what it meant, but all the same, Tauriel did not yet understand it. That, ultimately, was why she was foraging for edible roots and not on a boat to Erebor.

She had come to admire Kili in the short time she had gotten to know him, but she could not yet comprehend the full extent of her regard.

Ahh, maybe her battle training did apply after all. In battle, the difference between knowing and understanding was the difference between loss and victory.

Recognizing an orc was not enough. One needed to know how to bring the orc down if they were to survive the encounter.

Tauriel's wandering gaze hardened. She didn't like to lose.

She knew the word...she knew the reply that she wished to give...but it had been days since she met him, and though she knew what she wanted, she did not understand.

Tauriel found her eyes drifting skywards, towards the mountain. There, cradled in the breeze, hung a raven. She watched it bank away from the wind, letting the breeze carry it towards Erebor. She heard its shriek of glee as nature's forces pushed it towards the mountain. Tauriel wondered if the bird would gain nearly as much happiness from flying away from Erebor...against the wind.

Tauriel spied the thing which she sought and dropped to the ground to collect it. As she freed the small turnip, an unappetizing beige lump, from the earth, she made a promise to herself.

She was no bird. She would not risk hurting Kili with a quick decision. She would take the time to understand, flying against the wind for as long as she needed. Until she understood. As soon as she understood, she would let the wind bear her back to Erebor for better of for worse.

* * *

We'd been on the water for less than a minute before I began to feel incredibly glum. After the night on the waters, the brief respite on the shore had been insufficient to calm my protesting stomach.

I was given a less than friendly reminder that Kili and Tauriel might never speak to each other again.

I was quite uncomfortable with sitting and letting my companions do all of the rowing.

And on top of all that...there was a copious amount of sand in my shoes.

My one consolation in all of this was the sensation that accompanied being back on the road again.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the shore, I applied my displeasure to a new topic. Lake sailing. Sailors in the books I read would always use the term _put out to sea_ to describe leaving a port. I was unreasonably bothered by the fact that the term _put out to sea_ sounded fine but _put out to lake_ sounded absolutely ridiculous.

"Well you're just glowing with happiness this morning, aren't you," said Kili dejectedly.

Surprised at the interruption of my pointless frustration, I glanced Kili's way. He dipped the oar into the water and pulled it through the waves, bringing it back up with an ease that made it hard to believe he had been on death's door mere hours ago.

"You don't look so good yourself," I said, standing and moving in slow and deliberate steps to a bench closer to him.

He dipped the oar again.

"So I'm told," he said, head turning back towards the thin line of the shore.

I immediately felt selfish for my own attitude. Kili was going through so much more than I was at the moment. I decided to remedy the situation.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "You don't actually believe that's why she didn't come."

"Course not. I think she didn't come because of that elvish prince," he said. His next dip of the oar was far more powerful.

"I didn't see a single bearded elf the entire time we were in that place," Kili said out of nowhere.

"Does it matter?" I asked, tilting my head quizzically in Kili's direction.

He shrugged. "Not sure. Elves may be different, but with dwarves, lack of a full beard is basically Mahal's way of telling you that you'll be an eternal bachelor."

"Don't worry, Kili. Elves and men aren't like tha-" I stalled in my speech. I hadn't misspoken, but it was at that moment that Kili's last comment actually registered in my mind.

"Why the sudden halt in conversation?" Kili remarked.

"Seasick," I said, and promptly returned to my place at the back of the boat.

I'd known that dwarves placed great pride in the thickness and length of their beards. I was also aware of the teasing Kili received for not having one. Thing is, I always assumed that Kili's lack of beard was just a product of his youth, and it was for this that he was teased.

Never before had I considered that beards were also an asset of beauty. It hadn't even crossed my mind that dwarves found those without beards unattractive. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.

I knew how I was viewed by people back home. I was no head turner, and I found it easy to blend into the background at school (when I kept my mouth shut). However, on the rare occasions that I chose to dedicate some time to my appearance, I finished with an end result that I found quite pleasing.

That all went out the window. I wasn't worried about my companions opinions, after all, if I was ugly or unattractive, they'd known that for months. There was no use worrying about my past. My future, on the other hand, had just been given another headache. Marriage. To a dwarf.

I glanced up the boat towards Fili and wondered. If Kili (whose looks had drawn my attention the first time I'd seen the films) was considered plain for his lack of beard, then what must Fili think of me?

I spent the first half of the remaining boat ride more worried about my looks than I'd been in middle school, and the second half telling myself how much like a middle schooler I sounded. How stupid I was being. How shallow. By the time we saw land, my stomach was in knots and my temper was on a short fuse because of it.

* * *

"Land ho!" said Bofur, vaulting over the side of the boat. Fili and Kili were quick to follow him, and after a seconds contemplation and a distasteful glance at the murky gray water, I followed.

The waters cruel, icy grip was quick to tighten around me and I gasped in shock as my feet hit the lake floor. I had overestimated my own height, and while the dwarves were in barely up to their chests, I was in up to the dip of my clavicle. I donned the lake like a dark cape, flowing about my shoulders. It was, in a way, beautiful. All the same, it was freezing.

I wanted myself out of that water and I wanted it that instant, so I braced my trembling hands against the side of the boat and pushed with all my might. As we shoved the boat to shore, I made a mental note to pay more attention to my height in future. My only comfort was that I had a backpack full of dry clothes waiting for me on the boat. It was that thought that kept me pushing until the four of us had it clear of the water.

Oin jumped ship at this point and was greeted with four jealous looks at his dry -if oversized- clothing. The old healer seemed to find this amusing to no end but was able to cease his chuckling long enough to climb back into the boat to retrieve two blankets.

"Sorry we don't have more, the townspeople had a greater need," Oin said, handing the blankets to Fili, who would assume the role of leader for the duration of the trip.

"Kili, Aria, you two are the youngest," Fili said, offering a blanket in each of our directions.

Fili was trying to hide it, but he was shaking from the cold as much as the rest of us. I was tired of people giving me things that they needed much more than I did.

"Keep it," I said quietly.

"But you're freezing. I'm accustomed to the weather, I can manage," he replied, refusing to withdraw the blanket, even as Kili took the one offered to him.

Stubborn dwarf.

"I don't need it. Thank you for offering. I have extra clothing on the boat," I explained, returning to the boat, where Oin had retrieved my pack and was ready to hand it down to me.

I took it gratefully and thanked him.

"Oh, alright," said Fili. "Bofur, you take it."

Bofur hesitated and in that moment I marched over to Fili, took the blanket, unfolded it, and leaned up on tiptoe to sling the blanket around his shoulders.

"You're next youngest after Kili. You're also cold. Keep the blanket," I said, before turning and walking off down the shore. I could feel four pairs of eyes trained on my retreating back.

"Where are you going?" Bofur asked after me. Without turning, I pointed at an outcropping of boulders.

"Privacy," I called.

It didn't take me long to reach the outcropping and once behind the boulders I dropped to one knee and opened my backpack.

Though they had held together nicely, Belladonna Took's old tunics looked so very different from the ones I'd pulled from the dusty chest in Bag End. Sunny yellow, sage green, and burgundy red were barely visible beneath grass stains, cobwebs, and dirt. I removed these tunics from my pack and laid them next to my cape, which had been the first thing out of the pack.

There were only a couple items left. The largely disused hairbrush I'd pilfered along with the tunics came out. Then, the precious vial of crimson leaves and the careworn copy of Romeo and Juliet. The dagger Finally, there were the wrapped bars of lavender soap. I had positioned them carefully, so as to shield the final garment from the stained and sweat-smelling tunics that had been worn before it. I removed the bars of soap and pushed them to the side.

As I lifted the final garment from the back pack I smiled. I had hoped to save this for the days in the mountain. The days before the battle. The days when I wouldn't be traveling. Afterall, dresses weren't very practical for long treks.

I had nearly left it at Bag End, but the white dress, styled similarly to the tunics with its diamond and sapphire accents at the edges of the sleeves and at the neckline had been impossible to leave behind. Even that first night when I had been so disinterested in expensive or beautiful clothing, I had been unable to leave it for Bilbo's relatives to auction off with the rest of his property.

I undid the laces of my converse shoes as quickly as my shaking fingers would allow and pulled them off. I wished I had replacements, but the wet shoes would have to go back on sooner or later, so I might as well accept it.

The laces at my throat were next to be undone, loosening my soaking tunic enough to pull over my head. Before removing it, I took a deep breath.

The moments that followed were miserably cold ones. The absence of my tunic and leggings, though brief, exposed me to a wind that seemed to bite into my skin.

The settling of the white dress over my head made it worth the while. The dress fell to my mid-calf, reminding me that it had indeed been made with a hobbit in mind. I examined the sleeves, snugly fitting and covering three-quarters of my arms. My favorite length.

I wasn't sure how well the dress suited me visually, but it fit perfectly. This left only the negatives of dress wearing in general. First, I'd be traveling at the back of the group if we needed to climb anything, second, skirts weren't as warm as trousers, and third, the low neckline did nothing to conceal the pendant my grandparents had given me.

I decided to take these troubles only as they presented themselves. Worrying about hypothetical situations would only worsen my mood.

I retrieved my cape, brushing the dust away and examining the interior to make sure that there were no spots that could stain the dress I now wore. Finding none, I tied the cape around my neck and resigned myself to slipping the soaking shoes back on my feet.

Once this unsavory task was completed I began stuffing my laundry back into the pack, paying no heed to neatness except in ensuring that Yavanna's vial was tucked safely in a place where it could not be accidentally smashed.

A loud squawk made me drop my backpack!

I turned to see a sleek black raven perched in the sand behind me.

It squawked once again.

"Shh!" I hissed, not quite knowing why it mattered. The bird could squawk to his heart's content. It didn't matter to me.

"As you wish, Lady," the bird replied.

"You can talk?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"All my kind can speak. Few choose to listen. Fewer know how to answer."

I glanced back in the direction of the boat. The boulders blocked my view.

"Are you returning to the mountain?" I asked, reaching down to grab my backpack.

"Not yet. I have a message for Oakenshield's heirs. One that must be answered."

I slung the backpack over my shoulders. "I travel with the company. I'm also an heir by marriage...or at least I will be. I could take the message if you'd like," I said, my interest now thoroughly captured by the creature before me.

"Take it then," the creature said, extending his leg to reveal a scroll of parchment secured with a bit of leather.

I moved towards him but the raven swooped up, landing on my shoulder, his talons digging into my skin. He stuck his leg out and dropped the scroll in my waiting hand. As he withdrew his talon, I noticed a crookedness in his leg and felt a pang of sorrow for this creature. A band of scar tissue ran the raven's leg.

As if he had read my mind, the raven said "To be born in captivity is a shame. Freedom is worth any cost."

"I-I'm so sorry-" I began, but the raven just squawked at me to read.

And so I read. The note was in a hurried script.

 _Fili and/or Kili,_

 _Dain received word that a company of fifteen, mostly dwarves, passed through Laketown. I write in the hope that the conflict at the mountain is over and that this letter reaches a company of dwarves that are safe and alive. Ama, Ada, Gimli and I have reached the Iron hills and we were planning to disembark for the mountain when Dain's news reached us. I beg you to send word post haste, as we are confined to the Iron Hills Keep until Dain receives further notice from his own messengers. I need specifics and I need them now. If you are alive and reading this then please do your poor sister a favor and answer._

 _Freya_

 _P.S. Fifteen? Who else is traveling with the company? Oh, and if you have important news, please give your official signature so Dain is forced to pay attention to it._

I nearly laughed at Freya's scattered and informal prose. Below the letter, a charcoal stick was secured to the parchment by what looked like candle wax. I broke the wax and turned the parchment over to find it blank. Good. I moved to the nearest boulder and began to write, pausing with the realization that the rock was too bumpy a surface to write on. A quick brush of my fingers to the rock solved that problem. My reply to Freya read as follows...

 _Freya,_

 _The time for specifics will come later. For now, brevity must guide my hand. To answer your last question first, Thorin brought along a burglar and an interpreter, making fifteen travelers. All of the aforementioned travelers are alive and healthy. The mountain has been retaken and Smaug is no more, however, the elves and men of this region seek to take our wealth for themselves. I write this the day following Durin's day. They will attack the mountain at dawn, morning after next. The aid of Dain is crucial to our success in the defense of our homeland. May it be made absolutely clear to Dain that we have reclaimed Erebor. Now, we defend it. If his loyalties lie with Thorin Oakenshield, let him prove it on the field of battle._

 _Signed,_

"Aria?" called a voice from the other side of the boulders.

"Fili," I gasped. His voice had startled me, but I was glad he was here.

"Come back here, I've got something to show you," I called.

"Uh...I'm not quite sure that's-"

"I didn't mean it like that...geez. There's a raven back here. He brought a message from your little sister," I said, trying hard not to blush at the phrasing of my earlier invitation.

This news seemed to get the better of Fili's curiosity, for he appeared a moment later, still soaking wet, but with that blanket around his shoulders.

The bird took flight, his talons digging into my back as he prepared to take wing. I grimaced, but he hadn't broken through the material of my cape, and for that I was thankful.

"Freya sent a message by raven," Fili commented. He'd certainly assessed the situation quickly.

"Yes. Take a look," I said, handing him the letter, and watching intently as he read it. He commented on it the whole way through, an act purely for his own benifit, but highly enjoyable for me.

"Oh, I don't believe it. She must've run. Probably bullied Gimli into going along. Trust Freya not to wait on Dain's messengers. What's this?...Aria?"

"What? Oh, that's wax. She attached a stick of charcoal. Apparently, she didn't think we'd have a quill and ink pot with us," I said, still regarding him as he looked down at the letter.

"Funny the raven let you open it. I heard they never deliver a message to one it's not intended for," he said, brow furrowed.

"It's addressed to you and Kili, but I think Freya told the raven to deliver it to Erebor's heirs. I took advantage of our engagement," I said offhandedly, shrugging.

"And you've replied?" Fili asked breaking into a smile, presumably in response to my comment.

I barely registered Fili's question. I hadn't seen that smile in so long. Amused, carefree, not laced with fear or relief or sadness.

I'd missed it.

"Flip the paper," I said after a moment.

He did, and scanned my response.

"You've got to be joking," he said as he finished.

I didn't know what to make of the comment. "Did I make a mistake?" I asked, leaning over his arm to see my note.

"No. It's well written and concise. Don't let Thorin see this or he might put Ori out of a job...but...really? I thought we were finished with that pointy eared bast-"

"Fili," I said sternly. "You will be glad of Thranduil's presence before that fight is over. He will not be our true enemy in this fight."

Fili nodded and asked for the charcoal stick. I gave it to him and he put his signature at the foot of my note before handing both items back to me.

"You should sign it as well. Dain would need to see my signature or Thorin's to approve a matter as grave as this, but my sister did want details. A maiden's name alongside mine will give her something to do...she loves puzzles," he said as I signed my name, copying his form until-

"Do I put my father's name or my mother's?" I asked.

"They have nothing to do with this world. Use your grandparents' earthen names. Both of them," He advised.

And so I did.

"And a title?" I asked.

"Try for at least a partial truth," he advised. As I searched for a title in my mind, I began to feel the soft hum of the living rock beneath the side of my hand. Proof of the Valar's blood running through my veins. Proof that I had inherited a power beyond that of any blade. The title was a touch dramatic, but the boulder on which I wrote seemed to hum as I signed the letter.

 _Signed,_

 _Fili, son of Findrir, Heir of Erebor_

 _Aria, granddaughter of Aaron and Yalena, Heir of Stone_

Before long, our little company of five was back on the road. I'd thanked the raven as he flew away to deliver the message, accepted Fili's offer to carry my pack for a while in apology for the blanket incident, and listened to around five minutes of relentless teasing for forcing the elder prince to keep that same blanket. According to Kili, I was turning into a miniature of Dis. Oin had, at some point, claimed that I was shaping up to be "quite the mother duck," and Bofur had jokingly insisted that the whole thing had been sweet, and that maybe Fili and I should consider marriage if I was going to fuss over him in that manner. This last joke got a lot of laughter from Fili, Kili, and I, leaving Oin and Bofur to wonder why.

After we'd spent an appropriate amount of time in conversation with the others, I commented that I had a headache and asked if Fili could slow down to walk with me while the others continued on at a quicker pace. This request went over quite smoothly, and Fili and I fell back just as we'd planned.

Back on the beach, he'd wanted to know more about the battle that would require Dain's assistance, but we'd decided to wait until we were less hurried to discuss it.

As we hiked along, the wind shifted, blowing our hair back from our faces, and sending our conversation away from our companions.

"I won't try to make you tell me anything more than what you see fit," Fili promised.

I nodded in understanding. Then, I explained to him all he had wanted to know. Why he would be glad of Thranduil's presence before that fight was over. Why the Elven King would not be our true enemy in the coming fight.

"The battle of the five armies," he repeated when I had finished.

I said nothing.

"You know, if I've got to go, I wouldn't mind it being in a battle remembered with such a title as that," he remarked.

I hated when he did that. Little flippant remarks acknowledging his impending death as if it were an interesting social event he would be attending. But I knew why he did it. It had taken a while to figure out that it was to calm me, to reassure me that he was unafraid, but I still hated it.

"Oh, well that's good to know. Saves me a lot of work," I remarked, concealing my displeasure behind a mask of relief.

"Anything to please the all knowing Heir of Stone," he said sarcastically.

I elbowed him halfheartedly. "You said it should be dramatic."

"True. Speaking of drama, I enjoyed Bofur's joke, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, why the sudden curiosity?" I asked, relatively certain that I already knew.

Fili took his time before finally responding.

"I think we should tell the company."

 **Well...that's going to be an interesting conversation with the company.**

 **Oh, Tauriel. *sighs* Well, I suppose she's just being cautious.**

 **As for Freya, I doubt she's ever followed directions without sneakily disobeying them.**


	42. The mountain whispers a summons

**And so the story continues...**

 **Chapter 42**

Freya watched the dark shadow wing its way over the lower peaks of the Iron Hills Keep with a self-satisfied smile on her face. Night had concealed the raven's departure the day before and now the same darkness cloaked its return.

Freya's little company had reached the Keep three days ago. The military stronghold, whose towers could be separated from the jagged hills only with a trained dwarven eye, was an awe inspiring sight.

Dain had welcomed them into his home with surprise and his usual raucous excitement, glad of a chance to see his cousins once again. The visit originally meant to last one night had been interrupted by a messenger of Dain's. He had written to the Lord of the Iron Hills in a sloppy hand on a ripped piece of parchment delivered by one of Dain's bumbling carrier pigeons. His note claimed that Lake town was buzzing with rumors of dwarves and prophecies. He'd claimed that a company of fifteen dwarves had been spotted in the town earlier that same day and that the fate of the mountain would soon be decided.

Upon hearing this news, Dain suggested that his kin from Ered Luin stay with him in the Iron Hills while awaiting further updates. Freya's parents had agreed, much to her chagrin, and had confined the headstrong young princess to a set of chambers in the upper spires of the Keep.

The discovery of a flight of ravens perched in the rafters of her new quarters gave Freya a simple (but in her own mind brilliant) idea. She had written a hasty, impatient, and cautiously optimistic letter to her brothers and pleaded with one of the smaller ravens to deliver it. The winged beast had eventually obliged and left promptly.

Now, he returned.

Freya had little time to marvel at the bird's speed and efficiency before his blot of a shadow filled much of her window and the raven alighted on the sill.

"What news?" Freya asked eagerly.

The bird squawked in annoyance before extending a twisted and scarred leg and dropping a familiar scroll of parchment onto the floor before Freya's feet.

Rage boiled inside her in the moment before she saw the writing on the outside of the scroll. A reply!

She snatched it from the ground and fled to the light of the oil lamp in her sitting room, heart racing. She sat with a thump and a puff of dust on the old sofa in the center of the room, and unrolled the parchment, holding it under the dim light for inspection.

She immediately recognized the hand as foreign, belonging to neither of her brothers. Fear welled up inside her as she was forced to wonder why someone else had answered. She could not bring herself to face the possibility of Fili and Kili's deaths.

After several seconds of mental turmoil, Freya schooled her nerves and read the letter.

Curiosity. A burglar? An interpreter? Why would Thorin bring either of those?

Sheer relief. The company was whole and well! They'd won back Erebor too!

Excitement. There was to be a fight! The company needed their help. Adrenalin began to pump through Freya's veins. She had to find Dain! If Freya knew anything about her iron willed relative, he would want to take immediate action.

She bolted from her sofa, headed for the closed door. In the hall beyond, two guards were stationed, both as protectors and prison keepers. This precaution had made Freya fume with rage at first, but now? Now she would use the officials to her advantage.

Hand on the knob, she paused. Dain would most certainly need to see her brothers signature. He would also need the testimony of the messenger. Freya turned to the back room where she had left the raven, readying herself for the arduous task of convincing the tired bird to perform yet another task for her. She was surprised to see him perched on the arm of the very sofa she had vacated moments ago.

"I know what I must say," he squawked.

"Well, you're much more compliant than when last we spoke," Freya said, lifting an eyebrow.

"I had no reason to hope for my homeland at that meeting. On my flight, I encountered one who will raise mountains, restore kings, and reshape the future of the seven kingdoms. I have every reason to be compliant," the bird said, puffing out its breast and standing tall, the ruined leg almost unnoticeable.

Freya frowned. "Do you speak of Fili or Kili?" she asked, wanting to know just how much she'd missed over the past few months.

"I speak of no dwarf," the raven said, before returning to silence.

"I don't have time for cryptic nonsense," Freya mumbled, gaze returning to the letter, hoping to find a signature at the bottom.

She got what she wanted. _Fili, son of Findrir, Heir of Erebor._

Freya scanned the letter once more, committing it to memory, and was preparing to roll it up when she saw the second signature. _Aria, granddaughter of Aaron and Yalena, Heir of Stone._

One who will raise mountains, restore kings, and reshape the future of the seven kingdoms. An heir of stone?

Freya crossed back to the door and opened it, showing the letter to the guards, who nodded to one another before escorting her in the direction of Dain's apartments, the raven flapping along behind them.

As they went, Freya took another look at the signature. Whoever this person was, her penmanship was better than Freya's. And as for that pompous little title? Freya decided she didn't like it...almost as much as she didn't like how close that signature was to Fili's.

Freya clenched the scroll in her hand. She'd deal with this dissatisfying puzzle later. Now? Now she would convince a Lord to go to war.

* * *

The late afternoon sun shone down upon the city of Dale. Ruined buildings invited bits of light to peek through gaps in the stone walls. Everywhere the light did not fall shadows were cast on the streets, deepening the sense of mystery about the place.

The city in all its fractured beauty was lost on me. I stood alone at the overlook, gazing down into the valley and the towering gates of Erebor across it. My heart thundered in my chest, my palms grew clammy with sweat, and every bone in my body screamed for me to move away from the edge, with its sheer drop to the unyielding ground mere inches away from my feet.

Yet I would not yield. Not only did I refuse to back down from this challenge, but for the first time, I saw the great expanse of the land before me and was more captivated by it than I was frightened of it.

This new knowledge fed me and kept my feet rooted in place at the edge, even as my heart raced with fear.

"Impressive," said an amused voice from behind me.

"Not really. Most people could stand here without fear," I said turning my head to face Fili, for it was he who had spoken.

"Still. You and I don't fall among that number, yet there you are," He said, arms crossed, leaning against a dusty wall.

"How is everyone else?" I asked, skating around his compliment.

"Still asleep. I think Kili, especially, was in sore need of a break," he said, relief at his brother's recovery evident in his tone.

"And you?" I asked.

All I got in return was an absentminded shrug.

An unusually tense silence filled the space between us. I knew there was a reason he'd come to see me and I wished he'd just say what he was thinking.

"You know, if you want to wait, I'll wait," Fili said at last.

My reply was instantaneous. "I told you I've had enough waiting. I have no desire to wait, and no question in my mind," I said, my voice taking on the same tone of authority that it had held on the beach that morning. I held out my hand, inviting him to join me at the edge. I pushed all thoughts of the company's impending reaction to our announcement to the back of my mind.

Fili chuckled to himself before striding forward across the rubble-strewn path, taking my hand in both of his, and kissing my knuckles. He then put a reassuring arm around my shoulders and sighed heavily.

"What was that for?" I asked, turning my head to study his face.

He looked down at me, an amused smile playing about his lips.

"I just remembered the first morning of the journey. I can't help but think how very different you are from that frightened girl in the alley way," he said, the look he was giving me seemed to heat my insides with a warmth I had never before felt.

"How do you see me now?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"You're a fighter. You're wise beyond your years, and lately…" his smile grew and the blue of his eyes seemed to deepen as he gazed down at me with an expression I could only describe as one of love. "Lately you've become more and more like the beautiful queen I know you will be," he said, and just like that, the fire inside me was quenched.

I turned my gaze back to the valley and when I next spoke, it was with an air of defeat. "You don't have to say that. I'm small and I don't have a beard and I know that, for dwarves, lack of a beard is the most unattractive feature you can have."

"You want the truth?" Fili asked.

"I'd rather that than a lie told to make me feel better," I said, setting my face in a resolute expression and turning back to Fili.

"The truth is you're beautiful, and having a beard would detract from that and cover it. If you really need to know, I think the lads in my family just tend to prefer dams without facial hair. My paternal grandmother? No beard. My mother? No beard. And as for Kili, I think it's obvious he's fallen for that elf captain, and she's got even less of a beard than he does," Fili said, though I barely heard him, for I had begun to laugh. Whether it was because of the relief I felt or because of the absurdity of the conversation, I do not remember. But I do recall being happy at that overlook in Dale.

I remember never wanting the moment to end.

I remember Fili running a gentle thumb along my (beardless) jaw-line, guiding my face towards his.

I remember that kiss as a joyful one, unsullied by desperation at the thought of being parted or the fear of being caught. And when we broke apart, both a little out of breath, I remember that we kept laughing.

* * *

The descent from Dale into the valley still managed to give me chills. One does not simply master a fear of heights over the course of an hour, and though I was making progress, I was still relieved once we had finished the hike down. The trek to Erebor's gates was longer than it had first appeared, and we made the most of the walk by passing the time in conversation. Bofur walked ahead of us, whistling the tune of a drinking song that I had heard him sing many a time along the road. Behind him walked Oin and Kili, and I was surprised to hear Kili bombarding the healer with questions regarding medicines and the treatment of wounds.

Fili and I brought up the rear. We knew that these minutes were likely to be the last we had in relative solitude. They were also the last we'd have before our secret was told. I was glad that the company would finally learn of our regards and intentions, but I would miss the covert gestures and looks. I rolled my eyes at my own foolishness.

"Do your best to relax. We made our plans on the way to Dale. Now, we can do no more than watch and wait," Fili had advised when I voiced my worries to him in a low tone.

After that, we'd spent much of the hike discussing architecture. This was something Fili had occasionally mentioned, but I loved to hear him tell me of the craft he'd take up more eagerly than the kingship of Erebor, given the chance.

The conversations (and whistling) kept all our minds off of the desolation that had been wrought upon the valley, and we continued on our way until coming to an abrupt halt before the mountain. I stopped, my feet rooted to the ground, my neck strained to let me gaze as high as I might, and there were the gates of Erebor towering above us.

Some ways ahead, my companions did the same. It then occurred to me that Fili, Kili, and Bofur had never seen their homeland. These next steps would change their lives. For Oin, Bofur, and Kili, the knowledge that we would find our friends and relatives alive inside was unknown. For the dwarves, these next moments would be incredibly impactful.

So as my companions rushed forward into the mountain, I smiled and watched them go without moving a step. Oh, how the tables had turned. I was no longer the eager student of dwarven culture, absorbing every fact I could hold. Now...now I was a proud friend who watched as my companions entered the halls of their fathers. Halls that I knew better than any of them, excepting Oin.

As I saw the remaining dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield's company reach the mountain and set foot over the threshold, I broke into a run to join them.

As I grew nearer and nearer to the mountain, I wondered why I had paused to begin with.

Maybe it was to watch with pride as they finally completed their quest.

Nearer.

Maybe I wished to remind myself that at one time I had been nothing but an observer of their tale.

Nearer.

Regardless, I still wished with all my heart to keep them safe in a way that this mountain would soon fail to do. I wanted to protect them in a way that all their exotic weapons could not hope to succeed.

The shadow of the hall beyond the threshold was at my feet.

Protect. Protect them.

I crossed into the near-silent expanse that was Erebor's entryway. The sounds of hurried footsteps, Bilbo's call of greeting, a warning, more footsteps, were observed but made no great impact on my mind.

I halted inside, becoming hyper aware of the dim light and dusty air in this place.

Protect. But how?

That question had haunted me for these past months but was now banging at the closed doors to my thoughts, demanding to be let in. The herbs, the book, the riddle, the pendant, things that had ruled my every waking hour since my arrival were spinning around inside my head, clamoring for space in my consciousness.

The echoes of feet against the stone faded away as I realized that I was frozen in place once more, the very reality of the place in which I stood pressing down upon me with a sense of urgency. The jade green pillars and walls, the stairs leading to the remains of Erebor's parapet, the air that had only recently been reintroduced to the mountain breeze, the pure history behind every piece of singing stone.

The parts of the mountain whispered their own secrets and bits of advice, urging me to protect the dwarves.

Warnings reverberated through the soles of my shoes and up into my body; warnings that bade me hurry, lest my one chance slipped through my fingers.

And then there was one more sensation filling me. Strength. The same strength that had prodded me to climb past my fear of heights on that dark night when we heard the first howls of wargs. The same strength that had calmed me enough to tell Fili my real name on the star watching rock. The strength that could move and change stone at the slightest touch.

I fell to my knees in the entry hall as it filled my ears with a roar so deafening I almost screamed. It pulsed at my fingertips as if it was a flame longing to envelop the mountain.

I was surrounded, for the first time, by a kingdom raught of the element that was my birthright, and some part of me wanted to become one with it. Something in me wanted to break out of this earthly body and join the might of this place. My control was so limited I nearly let it spirit my being off into the heart of the living mountain. I held on wearily, pleading with the gail to calm itself until one thought emerged above the storm boiling inside of me.

This was a part of me. It had no life but that which I gave it. I could contain it. I had to contain it.

So I did. I willed the crashing waves of my power to slow, to calm, to rest. The voices of the living stone quieted to hisses and cautionary whispers, freeing me to focus on my own thoughts and surroundings.

When I opened my eyes and turned my senses outward to the world around me, my face, along with the rest of me, was pressed into the cool floor. I blinked slowly, collecting myself with deep breaths.

 _Fool._ I chided. _You should have learned to control this before reaching the mountain._

My chastisements did little to calm the uncertainty that welled up inside me. This was no mere rock-moving trick I possessed. This was a gift from the Valar...and I had underestimated it severely.

As I got shakily to my feet, I looked at the ground where I had fallen. There was an indent in the stone, like a polished crater in the floor, and around it lay other markings etched into the stone with clean strokes.

They were each the same. They were each familiar. They were each an exact replica of the mark that hung around my neck. The mark of summoning.

* * *

It was many minutes later that I stepped out of that indentation and smoothed the marks away with a slight brush of my hesitant palm. The answer was clear as day. The power could be flung into the world around me, with unlimited purpose.

I could use it to protect myself from the rage of battle...I could use it to protect Fili.

"If only I knew how you worked," I murmured to myself as I began to walk slowly away from the hall, shocked and still focused on that pin prick of my being that longed to break free once more.

The full force of the sun and the breeze hit my face as I stepped out of the mountain hall. The power hummed more softly in my veins as I took measured steps away from the mountain.

That was simple enough to understand. More stone meant more power...or whatever this was. More power meant a greater chance of saving the dwarves. For that was my missing piece. They would fall into a temporary death-like sleep if I could get them the leaves, but I needed to make sure that they survived the blows that were meant to end their lives in the first place. That was where this power came in...if only I knew how to control it once I re entered the mountain.

I turned an eye back towards the Erebor, regarding its grand and enshadowed interior with an eir of mistrust. If I couldn't contain myself-

"Aria!" my thoughts were abruptly cut off by a voice hailing from the shadows.

"Yes?" I said in return.

"Are you gonna wait around out there all day?" Kili asked, his figure becoming clear as he neared the ruined gate.

"I might," I replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Well, I'd advise against it. Everyone wants to see you," he said, stopping in the shadow of the gate.

"I doubt it, but I'll come anyways," I said, mustering as cheery a tone as I could and walking to meet him.

As Kili accompanied me back into the mountain, I tried to focus on our conversation, but my fingers seemed to tingle distractingly with the promise of what I could do while enveloped by this great mountain.

"You saw Thorin," I ventured as we climbed a flight of stairs, our paces slow enough to accommodate Kili's slight limp.

"I did. I guessed he might fall to the sickness as soon as he ordered me to stay in Laketown, but still, I wasn't ready to see the King down in those halls...not as he is now," Kili said, shaking his head in sorrow and regret.

"Don't judge him so harshly. I suggested leaving you behind," I said, devastation urging me to reveal my actions if only to heighten Kili's regard towards his afflicted uncle.

"You did what?" he asked, his voice dropping in anger.

"Don't act so self-righteous. You wouldn't have made it half way to Erebor on your feet, and you'd have been dead by sunset," I snapped, turning to glare at him as we reached the landing.

He seemed to consider my words.

"Tauriel would never have found-"

"Nope, she wouldn't have found you at all," I cut him off.

He sighed heavily as we turned left into a passage that rang with laughter at its farthest end.

I was surprised that, even with the knowledge that he would have died, Kili wished to have been part of that first group to cross the threshold.

"I have a favor to ask," I said when we had neared the sounds of the company's merrymaking.

"Ask away," he said, still somewhat miffed at my interference in his travel arrangements.

"Meet Fili and I. As soon as the three of us can be alone, we need to talk," I said, just as planned.

"You've been scheming again," Kili said, stopping in his tracks. "I hope you've decided to fill my brother in this time."

"It was actually his idea...for the most part," I said, glancing in the direction of the raised voices round the corner.

Kili smiled, almost to himself, as if he'd solved a puzzle after working at it for weeks. Without explaining his expression, he strode past me and turned the corner.

The scene that met me when I followed him was one of a happy reunion, and I was pleasantly surprised when the dwarves were visibly relieved to see me.

A shout of "We just can't seem to get rid of you, can we?" was met with applause and laughter all around, and in no time at all, I was swept up in a wave of recounting adventures and sipping tankards of ice cold water from a stream that flowed through the mountain near the forges. I gasped in all the right places in the story of Smaug's last stand, but secretly enjoyed the knowledge that I had witnessed the events of their storytelling several times over.

None of the dwarves seemed to notice the slight ripple of the floor around their feet, a slight action on my part meant to release manageable bits of power into the world without causing me to lose control again. Learning to tether this ability was much the same for me as learning to ride a bicycle. I had control, but not enough to stop my grip from wobbling and nearly failing altogether.

* * *

Tauriel's resolve, along with the hearty (if hard to swallow) meal of stewed roots and tubers, had given her energy and a clearer focus. She didn't lag far behind Legolas as they strode through Laketown's encampment and she was alert and focused on every movement in her surroundings. Not one person moved without the captain taking a quick and subtle assessment of their intent, unobservable to the untrained eye.

"You saw something out there," she prodded Legolas. She had gone over the events of the previous night in her mind more times than she cared to admit, and one memory that stuck to her was the haunted look on Legolas's face as he returned to Bard's house to retrieve her. It was of this that she now inquired.

Though her prince was still slightly icy in his regard towards her, his answer was thorough.

"The orc I pursued out of Laketown - I know who he is. Bolg - a spawn of Azog the Defiler. A warg pack was waiting for him on the outskirts of Esgaroth. They fled into the north. These orcs were different from the others. They wore a mark I had not seen for a long time. The mark of Gundabad."

Here Legolas paused to look around the camp.

"Gundabad?" Tauriel asked. The urge to draw her knives stirred at the very mention of that foul name.

"An orc-stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains," Legolas explained.

Tauriel scarcely had time to register the implications of this news when her senses were otherwise occupied by hoofbeats and the whinny of a horse. One of Thranduil's messengers appeared in the space behind Legolas, atop a white steed bred for quick runs and battle charges.

"Hîr nín, Legolas. Celin 'winiath o adar lín," the messenger said, his eyes fixed on the prince.

 _News from Thranduil?_ Tauriel couldn't help but wonder what it could be.

The elf's next words ordered the prince to return to his father.

 _So it's urgent, then._ Tauriel surmised.

"Tolo, Tauriel," Legolas said, ordering her to come. Ordering her to return to the realm.

She would not do it. Never again. Tauriel was about to give Legolas the shock of his life by telling him this, but was cut off by the messenger.

The words that the elf spoke rung in Tauriel's ears. So it was she, and not Legolas, who was given the shock of a lifetime.

She was banished.

This relieved her, but it frightened her just as deeply. Her flight from Thranduil's shadow was no longer a choice, now it was law.

Tauriel heard Legolas question the elf further before saying "You may tell my father: If there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me."

Another shock. "Legolas. It is your King's command," Tauriel reminded him.

Regret twinged in Tauriel's gut as Legolas replied.

"Naw aran nín, mal ú-gân innas nín."

 _Yes, he is my King. But he does not command my heart._

Having spoken, Legolas turned and took his leave of the messenger without another word.

"I ride north. Will you come with me?" Legolas asked as he walked.

"To where?" asked, following him, her interest awakening.

"To Gundabad," Legolas said, and Tauriel saw the crossroads as she reached it.

Should she ride to Gundabad or take her own path? The wail of a hungry child in the distance decided for her. She could not abandon these helpless people. She would ride to Gundabad. She would ride for answers.

Hopefully, her suspicions of what she would find there would be proven unfounded. Hopefully.

 **Tauriel rides for Gundabad, Freya marches for war, and Aria must hone her power, the only thing that can save the Durins, in the little time she has left before the battle.**

 **Can anyone guess why Aria and Fili need to see Kili?**

 **What are your thoughts on Freya's suspicion with Aria? Will they get along when they meet?**

 **I'd love to hear all of your thoughts!**


	43. The second attempt

**Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I always love hearing your thoughts, theories, and feelings. They really make my day:)**

 **Chapter 42**

Dis was awakened from a restless slumber by a series of sharp raps at her door. Her first instinct was to reach under her pillow for a dagger. Her second was to quietly shake her husband out of sleep. She did both of these things with practiced efficiency.

As his eyes opened, Dis gave Findrir a meaningful look. This was quickly followed by another set of raps and Findrir sat up, tensing.

"Who's there?" he asked in a low growl, then without waiting for an answer, he slid out of bed and unsheathed his broadsword from the scabbard propped against the bedpost.

The voice that answered his inquiry was low and urgent. "Dain has news, your Lordship. I've been sent to summon you and your wife to him...immediately."

Dis' attention shifted from her husband to the closed door, her eyes widening in shock. The urgency in the guard's voice did not suggest good news.

"We'll be along soon," Findrir said, but Dis paid no heed to the messenger's response. Her mind and stomach were turning in knots.

Her boys were in danger.

Fili and Kili were in danger and there was nothing she could do about it.

Dis's Durin blood did not heat with battle fire as it usually did when her kin were in need. This time, she had no urge to run for the mountain. They were too far away to help now. There was nothing she could do. There was no way she could reach them.

Her heart pounded: a panicked yet hollow drumbeat that seemed to echo in the distance.

The dagger slackened in her hand, falling to the coverlet before her.

Nothing. She could do nothing but let these short sentences and fragments of worried thought wrap themselves around her mind. She grabbed onto them like a lifeline in the shadows of the guest chamber.

Awful though they were, Dis allowed them to engulf her. She didn't dare let other ideas passed her defenses.

She didn't dare wonder if she was about to find out that Fili and Kili had gone where she could not follow them.

They were hurt.

They were in trouble.

They were out of reach.

Dis only prayed that they weren't-

"Dis," Findrir said, a soft word that reminded her they needed to move. A word that told her he would be with her. A word that urged her into motion.

She tried to push the curtain of foggy thoughts back and clear her mind. She only partially succeeded.

It was with shaking hands that Dis pushed herself out from beneath the covers and pulled her trousers on over her long tunic. The clothing was a gift from Dain, and followed the Iron hills way of functionality first. Not that she cared just then.

Dis turned her head to Findrir as she tied the laces of her boots and found him seated on the edge of their bed with his back to her, nervously turning his broad sword over and over and over in his hands.

She didn't have to see his face to know that he was as distressed as she. He wouldn't let her see it. He wouldn't even be turning the sword if he'd known she was watching. She knew that he ached to help, to run to Erebor that very moment, to protect his sons just as he was protecting her from the knowledge of how frightened he really was.

Dis turned back to her raised boot, the laces now in knots, and lowered her leg back to the ground, proclaiming herself ready to leave. She felt the mattress shift as Findrir stood and said in a hesitant tone "Whatever the news is, good or bad, it will change things. When it does...I will follow whatever path you choose to walk."

Dis nodded her thanks, unable to summon the words. He understood.

Three more raps sounded at the door.

"We've waited long enough," Dis murmured, almost to herself.

She got to her feet and made for the door, Findrir a step behind her.

* * *

There was no conversation to be had on the march that followed Freya's discovery of the company's call for aid. The guards lead her down the flight of stairs that separated her tower from the rest of the guest chambers and through halls set aside for Dain's guests.

At this late hour, those halls were lit by the warm glow of lanterns held in sconces on the walls every couple of doors along. Freya admired them as she passed, wide awake and attentive to her surroundings despite the absurd lateness of the hour. Her blood seemed to race quickly through her veins at the idea of battle. As they walked, she embraced the feeling.

They turned out of the guest quarters in Dain's private wing of the Keep and descended several more flights of stairs, passing residence halls, an infirmary, and an ale house, all spaced throughout the network of spacious stone tunnels that made up the Iron hills Keep.

Freya had compared it to an ant hill on her first day there, but the more she saw of the Keep the more it reminded her of a maze or labyrinth.

And yet, even the wandering (and often drunk) pub goers stumbling out of alehouses seemed to know where they were going.

 _How curious._ Freya thought to herself. The Keep was an underground city, and despite the unusual lack of painted signs directing pedestrians towards an infirmary, library, or ale house, everyone knew where they were going.

"Do you have a map?" she suddenly piped up, wondering if the guards would bother with an answer.

They did.

"No maps. Learn where you are and where you need to go," answered the guard at her back, his manner aloof and distant.

Freya's brow furrowed in concentration. No maps? Why on earth wouldn't there be maps of such an expansive place?

The answer hit her so hard that she gasped audibly.

 _So that was it. The Labyrinth had a purpose after all!_

"That's brilliant," Freya said aloud, a grin spreading across her face. "This place must be nearly impossible to enemies could wander around in here for days without knowing what's waiting for them around the bend. That's a built in tactical advantage in itself. And, I suspect your people are the only ones who know the layout of this Keep like the backs of their hands," Freya marveled.

Her observations earned her a scoff from behind that made the tips of her ears blush with anger.

"No, really? I hadn't thought of that before now," drawled the guard from behind her. Freya's hands clenched into fists at her sides. She nearly crushed the letter from Erebor, and then almost crashed into the guard in front of her when she lifted it to examine it for damage.

"Why do you call this city a keep? Keeps are fortresses, not extended areas," she said.

Her thoughts were quickly racing to the next topic and this question had been itching to escape for days. It felt good to have off her chest. The guards stopped and she halted mere inches away from the ones in front.

The iron doors before her opened and Freya forgot her question. Before her was a war room.

There was no denying it. This _was_ a war room. Plotting and planning and strategizing were conducted within these walls, and the grand space sent an excited shiver down Freya's spine.

An iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, it's oil lanterns bathing the room in the same warm glow as the guest hallway beyond her quarters. The floor was covered with rugs in rich hues and huge fur pelts that reminded Freya of the howling she and her parents had heard every night in the mountains. Those howls had had Freya pleading with the Valar to keep the wind from blowing their scents north and into the nostrils of those beasts.

Freya pulled her eyes from the pelts and beheld the large stone table dominating much of the room. Strewn across it were maps of other lands, and lists in scribbled ink, and stone markers in different colours, spread out across the likeness of middle earth that was carved into the table top.

Freya barely noticed the fur-draped chairs littered around the edge of the room, for she was preoccupied with the great red bearded dwarf standing at the end of the table opposite the door. He appeared to be concentrating hard on one of the scraps of paper before him, arms spread far apart to grip the table on either side, supporting himself as he leaned over the great expanse of stone. He looked for all the world like a King surveying his domain.

When Freya entered the room, flanked by her three guards, Dain looked up sharply.

The expression of hope and anticipation fell to one of annoyance as soon as it became apparent that Freya was not his messenger from Laketown.

"What did I tell you, lad? No disturbing your cousin. The poor lass has enough to worry about as is. She doesn't need you three buffoons dressing up as guards and lurking about outside her chambers," said Dain, a growl in his voice as he returned his gaze to the table.

It was all Freya could do not to let her jaw drop in shock. She'd been jokingly warned about Dain's son's tendency to prank anyone and everyone in the family, but she hadn't thought twice about the lowered visors on the guards helmets. Now that she thought about it, the other guards she'd seen hadn't even been wearing helmets.

She cursed herself for failing to notice.

The "guard" she'd nearly run into moments before removed his helmet. A good amount of thick reddish brown hair fell from the helmet, and Freya recognized Thorin Stonehelm, son of Dain Ironfoot, for who he truly was.

"I swear on Mahal's hammer, we hadn't intruded yet," Thorin said, and Dain raised his head, a silent question on his wild features.

 _Yet?_

"She came out of her chambers to inform us that she had received a letter...Sir," Thorin said in an apologetic tone. He was just two years older than Freya, but in that moment, he seemed far younger.

"Oh, I see. I suppose you're going to tell me that the lass talked a great wolf into hopping up to her window and delivering it, eh?" Dain said, and Freya was aware of just how little Dain believed his miscreant son.

"Can't let males do anything," Freya mumbled, before stepping out beyond Thorin and striding to the war table.

As she walked, she explained the desperate letter she had sent and told Dain of how the bird had only now returned. Freya briefly explained what was in the answer and by the time she was finished, she stood before Dain.

He had straightened and was now eyeing the slightly crumpled scroll of parchment in her hand with an expression caught somewhere between shock, relief, and worry.

"Are you sure, lass?" he asked, doubt emerging as the primary expression on his face.

As if on cue, the raven swooped in through the door. Freya had almost forgotten the bird had followed her, but his presence confirmed her story and bolstered her spirits.

She held the letter out to Dain and spoke.

"I'm quite sure. You'll find Fili's signature, along with that of the company's translator on the paper. Before you, is the bird that carried the message."

Freya gave Dain but a moment to take it all in before saying "What shall be our response?"

A slow grin full of the need for battle spread across Dain's face as he took in Freya's hands planted firmly on her hips and her head tilted to the side in a clear demand for his answer.

"Now, we show those forest sprites what happens to those who come between a dwarf and his own."

A thrill raced down Freya's spine. They were going to fight. They were going to defend Erebor. Dain was going to war.

The Lord of the Iron Hills turned his focus to the young dwarves lingering near the door and addressed them.

"If you three are going to dress up like guards then you're going to act like 'em. Tord," Dain said, gesturing to a dwarf who Freya had yet to hear speak.

"You will bring the Princess and her husband down here at once. When you've finished, wake my generals and bid them do the same to their inferiors. I want every dwarf ranked captain or higher in this room in one hour."

Freya's eyes brightened in anticipation as Tord nodded and left the room, disappearing into the hall beyond.

Dain's next orders were to his son. "Thorin, rouse the garrison and have them all preparing armor, weapons, and light provisions. Then go and get your mother. She'd have my head if I let her sleep through this. On your way, wake Kherdak. Tell him to sound the reeds at four hours past midnight."

Thorin obeyed his father wordlessly, disappearing in the opposite direction to Tord.

"Sound the reeds?" Freya asked.

"In the depths of this place, there is a small room. It opens into a network of hollow stone pipes that wind their way throughout the Keep. If the drum within that room is beaten, its voice is heard by every dwarrow, dam, and babe here. It has but one purpose...to summon the Iron hills dwarves to war," Dain explained.

Freya nodded, making a note to see that room if she ever returned to the keep.

"Might I be of some use to you?" asked the third and final dwarf. The one who had scoffed at Freya and ridiculed her from behind.

"Aye, that you can. You can start telling us everything you know about the elves. Weapons, tactics, weaknesses. Anything we need to know before we march for the mountain at dawn," Dain ordered.

Freya was confused. How did this self-absorbed dolt know more about elves than the Lord of the Iron Hills?

Freya was still wondering as Dain reclaimed his position at the head of the table, and Thorin Stonehelm's no-good friend took a position directly opposite her.

For the first time, Freya got a good look at him. His build was far leaner than that of either of his friends or for that matter, any of the young dwarrows Freya knew. Despite this, his armor fell on him in a way that suggested the presence of well-toned muscles beneath it.

"Can you tell us what we need to know?" Dain asked.

"It would be my pleasure," the dwarrow said smoothly, too smoothly, and removed the clunky guard's helmet.

For the second time since leaving her room, Freya's jaw nearly dropped. She wasn't sure what face she'd expected to accompany the cool voice, deep yet devoid of richness.

Whatever she had expected, it was not this. Silky raven hair appeared from within the helmet, falling straight and untangled to his chest. It had been tied in a half-up similar to Kili's hair, but there were no bangs. Nor were there any imperfections. And the face that accompanied the hair was not much different. His skin was only lightly tanned and bore not a trace (not a chance) of a beard. His features were all clean lines and angles that were in no way dwarf-like, right up to his dark eyes. They surpassed the cozy browns common among her folk, instead holding a tint of unwavering onyx. Black.

They made Freya shiver, but no longer were the waves of energy made of anticipation. Now, they were waves of apprehension.

"Is something wrong?" he asked teasingly, the glint in those eyes told Freya that he knew exactly what she was thinking. His head tilted with the question, just enough for his delicately tipped ears to be visible.

"You're an elf," Freya said in disbelief.

Dain roared with laughter. "Have you ever seen an elf that height?" her cousin asked, unable to master his mirth. "No, he's no elf. I've known this one since he was a babe. He has a good, strong dwarven mother. She's my Toralem's closest friend. No, he's just fair enough to do us a bit of useful spy work. Freya, this is Daeron, and you'll want to heed what he says," Dain advised.

Freya didn't care that this male's mother was best friends with Dain's wife. She didn't trust him one bit.

Freya crossed her arms in loathsome acceptance of her uncle's words. She looked up into Daeron's face for a moment, brow furrowed. She was considered quite tall for a lady, and she didn't like the unfamiliar feeling of exposing her neck as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. He even had an inch or two on Dain, who was the tallest dwarrow she'd met. Freya didn't care what Dain said, there was no way this male wasn't an elf.

* * *

"Gimli's agreed to stay?" Dis asked as she saw Findrir approaching her through the bustling stables. She fastened another saddle strap into place on the back of her mountain goat.

"Barely," Findrir said as if trying to forget the conversation he'd had with the young dwarrow. Dis paused in her work to watch Findrir begin to saddle his own beast. Though the stables were illuminated by lantern light, the darkness outside was giving way to lighter and lighter shades of blue. Sunrise would soon arrive in the Iron Hills. With that arrival, she and Findrir would depart with the rest of Dain's army to fight for the home she left behind as a small child.

The council held in the hours before dawn had been in full swing by the time she and Findrir had arrived. Apparently, the messenger sent to retrieve them had awoken Dain's officers before coming to their chambers. Though the blunder had annoyed Dis, it hadn't been able to rival the joy she felt upon receiving the news that her sons were still among the living.

A joy made complete by the pride she felt as she saw her daughter at the center of the council, the one who had sent the message and now the one who was helping to outline the attack as if she were a seasoned warrior. The ideas Freya had offered were flawed in places but contributed to the final battle plan in a way that made Dis happy she'd agreed to let Freya train with the dwarrows.

Dis regretted having to leave her behind.

She regretted but was steadfast in her decision. Dis had many years of fighting and surviving under her belt and she understood that anyone trying to kill her family was fair game. Freya was too young to understand that the elves would only be fought if they attacked first, and that the tense rivalry between the two races only resulted in violence when provoked. Dis didn't like the idea of Freya's first kill being an elf, and she didn't like to think of Freya going through life treating every elf she met as a mortal enemy.

Dis had no special love for the race that had left her stranded to wander the world as a young girl, but it was for Freya's sake that she had put her foot down.

She'd told Dain as the meeting broke up, and he agreed to keep Freya in the war room, assuring Dis that there was enough food from the breakfast they'd been brought to last for days. There was also a washroom off in a side chamber, for Freya's personal needs, and an abundance of comfortable furs to rest upon.

Despite her cousin's assurances, Dis knew that her daughter would be livid when she found out.

But she would be alive and unscarred by the strange battle that was about to take place.

"Findrir, if you think I made the wrong choice," Dis began, trailing off mid sentence.

Findrir glanced up from his work and shook his head. "I'm with you in this matter. She'll hate us for it, but she's better off safe."

Dis let herself experience a final pang of regret before fastening the last buckle of her riding gear into place and turning her thoughts toward the day ahead.

* * *

I winced as Thorin yelled at Balin, Dwalin, and Bilbo, demanding the immediate finding of his precious Arkenstone. His shout echoed throughout the lower halls and struck sorrow into the hearts of his faithful company.

We'd been at work sifting through the enormous mounds of glittering treasure for mere minutes before I decided that I needed to find a place to experiment with my abilities before my time ran out.

I slipped quietly away, winding my way through the towers of gold, jewels, and priceless objects, leaning down to sift through them whenever I suspected eyes were wandering in my direction. The exit took much longer than I would have liked, but my impatience was dulled by a wide eyed fascination with the treasure around me...even if it was gold with little silver to be found in sight.

Once I was in the nearest passage and out of sight of the dwarves, I quickened my pace. I needed to go quite a ways more before stopping. No one could know about this. Not yet anyway.

If I told Fili about it, especially about how I had caused myself to pass out in Thranduil's dungeons, he would do all in his power to ensure I could not use it to save him. His selflessness irked me in times like that. He'd be such a wonderful king if he would just let me keep him alive long enough to take the crown.

As I saw the shadows of the passage lessening ahead of me I scoffed to myself. If I didn't know Fili's sense of duty to the world outside, I wouldn't have put it past him to order Erebor's warriors to stay inside the mountain to keep them safe from the harms of battle.

But I did know better. I knew that Fili would lead a small band of willing dwarves against all the hoards of Gundabad if the people he loved were threatened.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I'd tell him about the power later. If he tried to stop me from using it, I would just have to ask him if he'd force any other warrior to remain behind. Much as I would hate to do it, I knew the answer he would give.

I sighed and continued to the end of the passage where I climbed a long flight of steps that lacked any form of handrail toward the light.

I recalled that in one of my dreams Erebor had been lit by cleverly concealed shafts cut high into the mountainside, bringing a good amount of daylight to the mountain. Today was different. Today the cloud cover and fading afternoon reduced the light at the top of the stairs to a gray illumination.

Even in the reduced light, the sight that waited for me on the landing took my breath away. Before me was the reason that they called Erebor a Kingdom. The open space within the mountain was vast, falling stories upon stories beneath my feet and climbing just as high above my head. I stood at the edge of a bridge, one of many that crisscrossed the open spaces between sections of the great city. I stepped forward to get a better look at the other side of the bridge and saw the outlines of buildings lining a stone street.

A glance upward revealed a large open floor as big as a football field. The stone benches placed at intervals suggested that it might be a public dance floor. Every single member of the company played a musical instrument, so maybe the idea was not so far fetched. An examination of the other bridges near me confirmed that each one led to a street or to an enormous building. One, directly beneath mine, opened onto a space rimmed with doorways to buildings that were carved into the mountain rather than out of it. The space before the building fronts was littered with stalls and abandoned carts.

A market.

I was willing to bet that the buildings across from me were shops. I took one look at the bridge, a smooth slab of stone at least a hundred meters long and lacking any sort of guard rail, and crossed.

The energy created by the thought of falling was turned from fear to exhilaration as I took step after step, the power and beauty of this place enthralled me, the hum of the mountain stone increasing to a chorus that sang a song deep and ethereal rich and clear, lifting any fear of the height of this bridge off of my shoulders. The song was wordless, yet thought and memory and melody had never been so clear to me as I passed across the opposite threshold and into the street beyond.

A glance over my shoulder revealed an opening into a great hall flanked on either side by the stone likenesses of past dwarven monarchs.

"The throne room," I breathed, grinning in amazement. I concluded that the forges, then, must be to the east of the throne room and slightly above my current position. The Hall of Kings and the main gate were in the same direction but below me.

I reminded myself that there was a passage back to the lower halls straight across the gap and down that absurdly long flight of stairs, then I turned and headed down the street.

I could spend hours more describing the abandoned shops, not made by a team of city builders but each lovingly crafted by its first owner, and the dusty windows barely concealing the toys, sweets, dresses, tools, and books behind their windows, but I would never be able to do justice to the sights I beheld. Even in disuse, the care taken by these people to showcase their talents and crafts was clear as day. I walked in the dim light for nearly an hour, peering through the shop windows and reveling in the ballad of the mountain that only I could hear.

Eventually, the shops gave way to homes, a residential area that, at one time, had been a neighborhood. I remembered seeing apartments above the shops, so these homes must have belonged to warriors, minors, and others whose occupations didn't tie them to a shop. These homes were carved in smooth lines and in many cases lined in runes or angular patterns edging the window and door frames. In this place, the beauty of a home had no minimum pay grade.

Every lowly minor and scullery maid could take pride in the artistry of their quarters.

At length, I reached the end of the street and came upon another great overlook. The song in my mind had eclipsed another sound.

To my left, a massive body of thundering white water gushed forth from the mountainside and fell away into the darkness below where it met a mighty river and was swept off to the east, under the city. The stone of the mountain beyond the waterfall was rough hewn. It was untamed and unembellished yet just as beautiful as the rest of this place.

No, not entirely untamed.

Across the way, there was a landing, a wide ledge atop which sat a grand dwelling.

* * *

To call it a manor didn't seem appropriate, especially not when I had found and crossed the bridge leading to the building and had passed beneath the great stone arches marked in ancient runes and bearing likenesses of twin birds.

 _Ravens._ I thought.

There was only one person to whom this place could belong.

Five minutes later, I had proven my theory to be the truth. I opened a pair of richly stained oak double doors on the second floor of the mansion and stepped into the royal library of Erebor.

This was the home of the king and his family.

Thorin's home.

I stepped into the library, pushed the doors shut behind me, and leaned back against them to better gaze in awe at the place I had seen only in my dreams.

With a shock, I realized that this was my home too.

In the fading light, I crossed to the large table at the center of the room, unmoved from where it had stood in my dream. The table was not littered with lists, drafted letters, battle plans, and odd quills as it had been when I'd last seen it. Instead, papers were in a neat stack, quills were standing in a silver container beside a closed ink pot, and there were no secret battle plans in sight. Oh, well, I had never assumed that my housekeeping skills were very good.

This was just proof that they'd never really improve.

The last object on the table hadn't been there at all in my vision, but I heaved a sigh of relief as I saw it. A candle in its holder, set upon a large metal tray.

I didn't have to look far to find a tinderbox, similar to those that most of the dwarves had carried at some point, but striking a spark over the candle cost me the rest of the sunlight.

It was by the light of that candle that I removed my cloak, pulled off my shoes and set to work.

In the hours that followed, manipulating the shape of the library floor became as simple as writing words on a piece of paper. The melody of the mountain danced as I practiced, and in the dead of night, I attempted once more what I had failed to do in Thranduil's dungeon.

I tried to talk myself out of it, but I knew deep down that even a dwarf could not withstand a fall from several stories up a watchtower. A fall Fili would take in two short days. Mastering this ability wasn't an option.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on the stone beneath my bare feet. A deep breath in.

"Please," I whispered to the empty house.

The stone beneath me began, at last, to soften. It did not give way, nor did it change its shape, but it softened. For several heartbeats, it was like stepping on a cloud. A soft, breathable, survivable cloud.

"Thank the Valar," I breathed as I marveled at what I had just done.

Without warning, the wave of exhaustion crashed into me. Energy fled my body at an alarming speed and I could only sway on the spot for a moment before falling to the ground.

I blacked out immediately.

 **Uh oh, Aria, really?Again? What could she be doing wrong?**

 **On a scale of one to sleep deprived Dwalin, how angry is Freya going to be with getting left behind again?**

 **What is Daeron's problem? Also, how did he beat Kili for the "most elf-like dwarf" award?**


	44. The banishing rune

**One more day until the battle and Aria's power has taken her consciousness again.**

 **Chapter 43**

Freya rammed her shoulder into the bolt of the war room door with all her might, bleating in pain when unyielding stone collided with flesh. She reeled back, kicking the door once, twice, three times, before she stopped and glared at the unyielding barrier between her and Erebor.

She should have known.

She should have guessed that her parents would never really allow her to fight.

"I would suggest stopping, but you seem determined to ruin yourself in anger and I doubt I could dissuade you," Daeron drawled lazily from behind her.

"What is the point of you?" Freya seethed, turning to face him as she massaged her injured shoulder.

He was lounging in a chair nearly half way across the room from Freya and the entire time she'd been attacking the door, he'd sat and watched in smug silence.

"Now, now. A maiden of your status should watch her manners," he said.

The smirk on his face made Freya want to punch his lights out.

She settled for a verbal whipping. "Shouldn't a male of your status be marching for battle?"

Some dark emotion flitted across Daeron's face before he answered in the same unmoved tone. "My Lord Dain assured your parents he would leave a guard and here I am. Although, I would not say I have escaped the battle completely," he said, laughing to himself and raising a half empty goblet of mead to his lips.

"Oh, I understand," Freya snapped. "If I were Dain I would have done the same thing. I wouldn't want a warrior by my side who could be mistaken for the enemy by both sides."

She turned back to the door and kicked it again.

Behind her, she heard Daeron set the goblet down with a loud clang and rise to his feet.

"Am I supposed to be insulted by that?" he practically shouted.

"Doesn't matter. That's the most response I've gotten out of you all morning," Freya countered, placing her hands on her hips.

"Child," Daeron mumbled.

That was a mistake. The dagger that Freya loosed on him spun right past his ear, nicking its tip as it passed. She always had one or two hidden up her sleeves, and she'd barely thought before whirling round to face Daeron and letting it fly.

"Say it again and the next one goes through your eye," she said, and it was all she could do not to scream the words.

Daeron seemed shocked. He blinked once, then raised a hand to his ear, touching the trickle of blood at its tip.

A minute passed, during which she glared and he stared and not a word was passed between them.

"Is your thirst for elven blood so great that you could not contain it until the battle?" he asked at long last.

"I don't give a rams arse if the blood belongs to an elf or an orc. If he touches my kin, he's as good as dead."

"Then what about my ear?" Daeron asked slowly, as if he was still digesting Freya's words.

Freya nearly didn't answer. She bowed her head and her words were quiet and hesitant.

"Because I can't take it anymore. I can't stand my youth for another second. I must watch my kin go to fight for their own and give their lives for each other and...and must listen as they tell me that my own life is not yet my own to give."

Freya looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears and her face set in an expression that dared Daeron to laugh at her just one more time.

He did no such thing.

"And if you were free-"

"If I was free, I would fight. Not as a part of Dain's army and never as a cold blooded killer. I would seek only to protect my brothers from harm," Freya said, the brightness in her eyes hardening to a glint of certainty.

Daeron seemed to think hard about his answer before giving it.

"Don't let her out of your sight. That was Dain's exact order to me," Daeron said, producing a small metal object from his jacket.

"He never did specify keeping you in here. Listen. I've had enough of old dwarves ordering me about like a trained dog, and I wouldn't mind seeing their faces when you turn up at that battle, so-"

"So then don't follow your orders," Freya butted in. "Let me leave alone and you'll have what you want."

"Oh, I don't think so. I'll never be able to leave for this place for good, not while my mother lives here. No, I'm going with you. It's as much revenge as I'm ever going to get. Take it or leave it," he said.

Freya wanted to glare at him again. His motives lacked all honor, and she almost refused him out of pure spite.

Almost.

Without a word, she stepped aside and allowed Daeron to pace to the door, unlock the bolt, and push it up and out of place.

"I'll take it," Freya whispered as the door swung open.

* * *

Blurred lines of pitch black and a suffocating lack of light that defied every shadow were all I knew.

Was I dead?

Could a dead woman ask herself that question?

Why was death so dark?

As if in answer to these questions, a bright light shimmered to life before my eyes. It should have blinded me, but my eyes needed no time to adjust.

I was not in the library anymore. I was also unsettlingly aware of the fact that I was not dreaming.

The hall around me was an expansive mass of white marble with windows of shining glass looking out upon a scene of such indescribable beauty that I would do it an offense to try describing it any further.

Detailed scenes of mountains, lakes, forests, birds, and beasts adorned the great marble door before which I stood. I began to lose myself in the perusal of these images, longing to reach out a hand and touch them but feeling that it would be an irreverence to this place to lay a finger on any part of it.

I didn't need to guess where I was. Anyone could have spoken its name without falter.

Valinor.

Home of my grandparents.

As if my realization had been audible, a deep voice began to speak beyond the door.

"Be that as it may, her blood is half earthen. She belongs in our world as much as you belong in hers. Not at all."

The voice that answered was a breathy song pushed by a gale of wind. My grandmother.

"And yet my husband and I are allowed to make our home in that world. Let her make her own choice," Yavanna ordered.

"May I remind you that your decision to bear a child in that world is not one that we approved beforehand," said the first voice.

I heard a rumble of displeasure from within. "That is because it was not your decision to approve," said my grandfather's voice.

"And bringing an earthen girl into one of our most important pieces of history was not your decision to approve," the first voice countered, tone losing none of its cool diplomacy.

I could put two and two together as well as any. They were arguing over me.

"Then you will not allow her to remain in Middle Earth?" my grandmother's voice asked, anger entering that song of hers.

No. No. They couldn't put me back. I was dreaming. I had to be.

I missed the reply.

The door opened wide before me.

"Enter, if you will," said the first voice.

I didn't think to hesitate before walking through the door and gazing around the room behind it.

It was almost entirely empty, housing only a simplistic glass throne on a dais. On that throne sat a tall male, one of the Valar, I realized. At the foot of the dais stood my grandparents, each outfitted in fine attire and an angered expression.

"I am correct in guessing that you understand the reasons for our summons, am I not?" asked the being on the dais.

"Yes," I said steadily, taking in his stern face and dark hair.

"You appear to be of an indignant disposition," he observed, quirking an eyebrow. "I place none of that blame on your shoulders. I would be similarly unhappy, had I been summoned as you have. I do apologize for this. We tried to summon you when you first reached Erebor, but it would seem we did not succeed for hours."

My grandmother glared, something I'd never seen her do.

I chose to ignore the apology, taking into account only the knowledge that those summoning marks around me in Erebor had been of another's making.

"I've survived this long. Why can I not stay?" I asked. I was unwilling to give up.

Not now.

Not when I was so close.

"You are tethered by the blood of your earth born father and your human mother to the earthen world. That pendant around your neck is all that holds you here, is it not?" the male leaned forward in his throne.

"It is, but I could wear it for a while longer, I don't mind it," I said, stepping forward as if to reassure my interrogator.

"That is irrelevant. Your grandfather crafted that ornament out of a desire to save his people. He gifted it to you, his heir, in the hopes that you could save the direct line of Durin from its doom. Honorable though his intentions were, he knew little of the damage he could do. An orc or perhaps another foul creature of this world would need only to remove the pendant, kill you, place it around his neck, then wait for sunset. He would arrive in your defenseless world with the intention to slaughter, and without a weapon from middle earth, he would be unstoppable," explained the Vala.

"I thought of that. The pendant is protected from such attacks," my grandfather said slowly, as if explaining this for the thousandth time.

"Your protection only works under the assumption that Aria is still alive. The battle of the Five Armies may very well bring about her death, and if she enters it with that thing about her neck, she puts her whole world in danger," the Vala said, a controlled calm radiating from his words.

"Is there no way for me to remain without the pendant?" I asked, dread settling like a dead weight in my chest.

"Not while your family ties you to earth. That bond of blood cannot be severed." the statement was simple.

The weight in my chest threatened to pull my down to my knees.

"Please, Mandos, do not condemn the line of Durin to death for a mere chance of danger," Yavanna pleaded, stepping up towards the dais.

"For a danger so great, some things must be sacrificed," Mandos replied. Turning to my grandfather, he said "Tell her how to destroy it, then send her back to the mountain. If it isn't destroyed by sundown tomorrow, I shall have to end it myself."

Without saying a word, my grandfather strode towards me and guided me back into the hallway. I could hear Mandos and my grandmother speaking in low voices before he shut the door behind us.

"I thought Mandos judged the spirits of the dead. He doesn't guard the gates between worlds," I whispered, glancing back towards the closed door.

"Gates between life and death, earth and middle earth, Mandos watched everything. When he saw your pendant, he started asking questions. I wish I could say that his decision isn't final, but he has the last say in these matters," my grandfather said tiredly.

"I can't go back to that other world. I can't leave them to die," I hissed, anger boiling inside me as I realized that my grandfather was going to obey Mandos.

"Then you must find a way to succeed before tomorrow night," he urged.

I fumed with a rage I had held back throughout my interview. When I spoke, my tone was raised.

"Azog the defiler marches for Erebor and Bolg's forces approach from the north. I cannot leave them on the eve of battle. I cannot abandon them!"

My grandfather's immediate answer was nearly a whisper. "There is nothing I can do which I have not already done. For better or for worse, my aid is waiting at the mountain." He paused and watched as I tried to take in the information he had just imparted. When he next spoke, it was in a conversational tone, easily heard through the door to Mandos' chamber. "Heat will melt the pendant. Throw it into the great forges. You'll find yourself returning home before a full minute has passed."

With that, a mark seemed to glow in the light before my eyes. Not a mark of summoning, but one of banishing. I couldn't read it, but its meaning was clear. The hall of marble vanished and darkness claimed me once more.

* * *

I was released from the darkness by a glow that soon solidified into piles of gold around me. Beneath my head and all around lay mounds of treasure. The treasure of Erebor's lower halls, I realized. Any hope I had of the encounter being a dream was pulled sharply away from me.

This was my last day in middle earth.

Day, yes, for the weak rays of natural sunlight were shining through the passages leading to the lower halls.

I was quick to pick myself up and follow one of those same passages towards the light. As I looked around for my companions, I stubbed a bare foot on a loose rock and received a hard reminder that I hadn't been wearing my shoes when I passed out the night before.

I had seen not a single dwarf in the halls, so I went the way I knew they had gone last night. Last night while I had been practicing and training my new abilities, Thorin had called for them to build a makeshift outer gate. A gate to protect the gold within from the people without. A gate with no means of being opened.

A gate that was standing completed when I emerged from the passages.

I arrived just in time to see Thorin turn away from a hole in the gate and call out to the man beyond.

"Be gone. Ere our arrows fly!"

That was Bard outside the gate.

I had missed so much of the morning already. How was that possible? It took everything in me not to panic right then and there. I stood by the passage entry as the company members climbed the stairs to the battlements where they watched as Bard galloped away.

"What are you doing? You cannot go to war!" said Bilbo's voice from above.

"This does not concern you," said Thorin, and I could hear the drunken gold lust in his tone, even from so far away.

Bilbo didn't seem to notice this or care, his next insistence even more firm than the last. "Excuse me?! But just in case you haven't noticed, there is an army of elves out there. And not to mention several hundred angry fishermen. We-We are in fact outnumbered."

"Not for much longer," said Thorin.

Bilbo didn't seem mollified by this response."What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means Master Baggins, you should never underestimate dwarves," came the King's assured reply.

He must have seen the raven winging its way back to the Iron Hills the day before. Clever dwarf that he was, Thorin hadn't missed a thing.

There was a pause before Thorin spoke again, and his were words I knew well."We have reclaimed Erebor - Now we defend it!" the shiver up my spine was one of both anticipation and horror. Anticipation, because I had penned nearly that same sentence to Fili's sister not one day ago, and those words would summon an army to be reckoned with. Horror, because the malice in Thorin's voice was so unlike him.

As the king turned and took the steps back to the ground, I gritted my teeth.

I could not bear to think that I would leave this world without seeing Thorin fully himself again.

"To the armory," Dwalin growled when Thorin had reached the foot of the stairs.

"No," I whispered, a command in my voice meant to be heard by no one but myself. If I was going to have any chance of helping Fili, Kili, and Thorin in the time I had left, I could not waste time with the armory.

And I didn't.

Nor did I waste time on my way back to the King's manor, running the entire way through the lower halls, up the flights of stairs, across the footbridge, through the streets lined with shops and residences, and along the small path behind the falls.

Once I was back inside I made for the library and found it in the same state as when I had left it. I blew out the dwindling candle, hopped over my cape and backpack, and made straight for the spiral staircase leading to the second and third levels of the room.

I guessed that the document I sought would be, if anywhere, in an archive.

It took me five minutes to find the royal archives but as soon as I did I realized that this task might be harder than I thought.

I began to search through the documents, finding many of them in Westron, and breathing a sigh of relief that I could decipher them.

I spent at least two hours searching through the documents, records of events, meeting logs, sentencing documents, trade agreements, employment contracts (like the one Bilbo had signed), and many documents whose purpose I could not discern at all. I was beginning to think my search was hopeless when I uncovered something in a stack of monthly records that looked remarkably like what I needed.

A few heartbeats later and I was back on the ground floor, meticulously inking in a blank copy of the document I had found. As I worked, I wished that Fili and I had been able to meet with Kili as we'd planned. We were going to tell the younger prince everything that would happen in the battle the next day...well, we were going to tell him that we'd be fighting orcs. The whole truth was to remain veiled to all but Fili and I. It had been Fili's idea that Kili might show us the object my grandfather offered him if we gave up some of the truth.

Now, we would never have that talk. Not that I needed it anymore. I had guessed what my grandfather had given Kili as soon as my grandfather had whispered that riddle to me in Valinor. I had already begun to act on that knowledge. When my work was finished, blown dry, and placed in my pack after I'd removed everything but my vial and dagger from its inside. I left the clothing on the floor of the library, wrapped in my cape. It hadn't occurred to me that I might not ever see it again until the moment I got my last glimpse of it.

A strange sense of sadness filled me as I thought about the gem encrusted tunics and trousers. They'd been the first expensive items of clothing that I'd actually been able to appreciate. Now, all that was left to admire was the dress I wore.

The white dress was still as clean as it had been when I put it on behind those rocks at the beach. Still untouched by dirt or dust. As the last thing I'd wear before that night, I wanted to remember the last hours I'd spend in it.

The library door shut behind me and I turned my head forward, ran a hand through my tangles of obnoxiously curly hair, and made for the armory.

* * *

"Remind me why this is taking you all so long," I said to Kili, who was trying on a breastplate.

"The weapons haven't been used in decades. They all needed sharpening before we could move on to this," Kili explained, removing the breastplate (which was far too large for him) and chucking it onto a pile of discarded pieces of armor.

I looked around, yet again, for Fili, but he was nowhere in sight.

As if Kili could read my mind, he said "he's on guard duty. He'll be along soon. Could you grab me that chain mail shirt?"

I nodded and threw another glance towards the armory doorway before retrieving the shirt, which was quite a bit heavier than it looked and sang with a voice telling me that stone was at the core of each loop of iron in the shirt. I shivered as I handed it off to Kili. I would never become tired of feeling that strength and near electricity dancing from the power in the living rock.

My goodbye to that power grew near with every minute that passed by.

So I slipped away from Kili and joined Bilbo on a bench in the hall.

"What are your plans for this evening?" I asked, attempting to sound cheerful.

"I thought I'd take first watch," the hobbit replied, not coldly, but as if he were distancing himself from what he was contemplating doing that night.

"I'd recommend second watch. It'll be pitch black by then and no one but the watchman will be up and about," I suggested in a conspiratorial tone.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Bilbo asked, brow furrowing.

"I'm telling you that you should have no hesitation. Get it out of here. Get it as far away from Thorin Oakenshield as you can. Don't attempt to deny that's what you were planning on doing," I whispered.

Bilbo nodded in return. "I can't watch it destroy him," he said.

"Neither can I... Bilbo?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Mhh?" The hobbit asked, a troubled look still etched into his features.

"Could you come to the forges this evening, half an hour before sundown?" I asked.

"Who will be there?" he asked, glancing in the direction of the armory.

"Just a few of us. And you'll be back long before second watch," I said, the last sentence barely a whisper on my lips.

"I assume I shouldn't be followed?" Bilbo asked.

I nodded once and took my leave.

* * *

"I can't believe that you aren't in an outrage about this," I said to Fili as we walked, arm in arm, towards the forges.

It had taken nearly the entire afternoon for the dwarves to prepare for the battle ahead. Apparently, they were extremely picky about armor. Well, all except Bombur. Bombur had had exactly one option. Only one of the suits we'd found in the entire armory had been his size.

The quarter of an hour ordeal it had taken to maneuver him into the armor seemed well worth it as he marched out of the armory with the others. Well worth it indeed, until Bofur had announced that everyone should probably take the armor off for supper. Half the company had been in an outrage at this statement while the other half (those who hadn't been helping Bombur) roared with laughter all the way down the battlement steps and into an antechamber we'd reserved for eating.

On the way in, I'd caught Bilbo's eye and he'd nodded to me. I'd also "accidentally" brushed Kili's shoulder and whispered the words _fifteen minutes_ to him.

I wasn't able to talk to Fili at all until then, whispering the slightly revised plan to him as I pretended to help him unbuckle his new armor.

The singing of the stone encased his chain mail over tunic reminded me just what I was leaving behind that night, and I had sighed.

Fili and I had eaten quickly, so as to have time to walk to the forges alone. Now, walking through Erebor, Fili shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not in an outrage because I think that Mandos meant only to protect your world. I won't hold that against him," Fili said, placid blue eyes calming the storm of grey that was brewing in mine.

"But you do understand why I'm angry, don't you?" I asked.

"Yes, I understand. You would have liked to have a choice, and the Valar took it from you," he said. "But...you'll be safer this way," Fili ventured after a moment of silence.

"It wouldn't matter either way. Safe or not I'd do it," I told him, hoping he would understand.

"I know," Fili said, and we quickened our pace ever so slightly.

* * *

I bent over my pack, unzipped partially and lying on the warm stone floor near the forges. I shifted the roll of paper within it to a less precarious position and as I did, my knuckles brushed against the vial and I heard a slight clink. I retrieved the vial, uncorked it, and dumped two crimson leaves into my hand. I counted three remaining leaves before re corking the tiny bottle and withdrawing my hand from the pack.

As I closed the pack, I was careful to conceal the leaves in my hand from Bilbo's notice. When I had finished, I got to my feet and handed the pack to Bilbo.

"You can leave it in the antechamber," I directed him. "I don't want anyone looking inside just now so keep it hidden...keep it safe," I said, thinking about the precious contents of the pack that Bilbo hoisted over his back.

I watched him turn and walk away with it, back through the rubble, back towards the company.

"I hate to call attention to this, considering recent events, but sunset's not far off," said Kili, gesturing to the last rays of weak winter sunlight peeking through the nearest shaft.

Recent events.

 _Recent events._

Kili had arrived at the forges shortly after Fili and I. I'd given him a (practically) unabridged narrative of my trip to Valinor before Bilbo had arrived.

That had been twenty minutes ago.

"You're right. We should make this as painless as possible," I said, and turned towards the Durin brothers waiting by the forge.

"These are for you," I said, holding a leaf out to each of them. "Fili, you know what they're for, just…" I couldn't go on. I took one steadying breath. "Just tell Kili later on...tomorrow. I won't get the chance to, but you know that already," I said, laughing weakly. A tear slipped down my cheek. I'd been crying silently five minutes ago, and until that moment, I thought I'd been finished. Oh well, it had been a sorrowful, turbulent, wonderful day, and I decided that the thing I was about to do entitled me to my tears.

Kili tucked his leaf into his trouser pocket, closed the gap between us, and hugged me.

"See you on the other side," he said, a small smile on his face as he pulled away. Then, he and Fili grasped forearms, and Kili too headed back for the company.

When he was out of sight, I turned my focus to the shaft on the ceiling.

Barely any light filtered through.

"We can't wait any longer," Fili said, a gentle hand brushing my shoulder.

I nodded, and we stepped up to the open forge door. The heat inside washed across my skin like a hot wind, but I did not step back. Instead, I turned to face Fili and found him already facing me.

I took a deep breath and pulled my hair over one shoulder.

Fili reached up to undo the clasp at the back of my bare neck, but instead, I found one of his warm hands on each side of my face, brushing away the silent tears that glistened on my cheeks.

For a moment, he looked down at me. My curly hair, my tear-stained face, my white dress, all seemed to make perfect sense to him in some way that I was only beginning to understand. When his eyes met mine, they danced in the light of the forges, and I thanked the stars for who I had been given for this short time.

I thought that the sound of the clasp clicking open would grate like iron in my ears, but I heard nothing and felt an unexpected weight lift from my shoulders as Fili took the pendant from my neck and placed it in my open palm.

He brushed a lock of hair back behind my ear, and I couldn't help but smile. I smiled because I hadn't done that in so very long.

And I smiled as I returned the pendant to the flames of the forge.

 **Uh oh. What just happened? What is Aria supposed to do now?**

 **Freya has taken a bargain from a crafty male, could that go south as well?**

 **What was that paper for, and what did Mahal give Kili? The clues are there...**


	45. The dawn of battle

****Chapter 44****

 _Wake up, Aria! Dawn will soon be upon you._

I didn't know if it was my own subconscious urging me from sleep or if I was still watched over by some otherworldly power, but I didn't dare ignore the warning. My eyes flickered once, twice, thrice, before remaining open.

This dawn would be the last before the great valley and the streets of Dale were bathed in the blood of innocent and guilty alike.

Tomorrow, the sun would rise red over middle earth.

I rolled over, nearly swooning at the comfort of the silky sheets and soft mattress. When I beheld the room around me, my stomach decided to tie itself into an array of complex knots.

I had left the forges mere seconds after tossing the pendant into the flames, and my memories of the hours that followed were blurry in places yet crystal clear in others.

It was only then, surveying my bedroom and the outfit draped over a nearby armchair, that reality truly and finally sank in.

I realized that I could never go back to the place I had been before, and that I would have to live the rest of my life with the knowledge that the people in that other world were no more than fictional to me. They were not real anymore.

I wished to dwell on that thought for some time more, I wished to mourn for what I had lost. I wished-

"Oh, to hell with wishing. The time for wishing is long gone," I proclaimed to the empty room around me.

I threw back the covers, marched to the armchair, retrieved my clothing, (an outfit of all black) and donned it quickly.

I took one more look about the elegant room, braiding my hair over my right shoulder as I did so, and turned for the door.

There was an overwhelming sense of purpose in my steps as I flung it wide on its hinges. I marched across the landing beyond the door and took the stairs before me at a confident pace.

Ahead, I had two options. A left would take me through a door leading to the rest of my home. A right would take me to the entry way and the front door.

I took a right with no hesitation, and was greeted upon my arrival.

"I keep forgetting you're a late sleeper."

I grinned. "And I keep forgetting that you enjoy leaving me behind at the first sign of danger."

Fili laughed and offered me my dagger, opening the door as I belted its scabbard to my waist.

As we stepped out onto the ledge before the king's manor, the place we'd stayed that night, Fili hesitated.

"What is it?" I asked, turning back to him and frowning.

"I only wish we'd had more time. A part of me wishes we hadn't done it at all. Aria, if I die today then I've ruined your chances of ever finding love again."

"Is that why you got up early? You were worried about _that_ of all things?" I asked incredulously.

I was shocked at the apologetic look in his eyes. I hesitated, unsure of what to say. After a moment, I took his left hand in both of mine and brushed a thumb along the band of engraved silver steel on his finger.

The band that was a near twin to the ring on my own finger.

"I would not seek another marriage. You gave me a home in this world, you showed me how to find courage, and more than anything you were my friend. Before husband, before love, before traveling companion, you were my friend. Even before I was yours. That gift is more than I could thank you for...So when you fight today, fight without regret. Especially not regret for our marriage. I'd rather have one day with you than a lifetime with another man in any world."

Fili's expression softened with every word I said, and when I had finished he pulled his hand back from me and took me into his arms. I returned the embrace without hesitation, resting my head against his chest.

He kissed the top of my head and his arms tightened around me. Neither of us had any wish to let go.

And neither of us did. My eyes squeezed shut and my body was rocked by a sudden wave of nausea. We were going to war today. In that moment, I tried to shut those thoughts out. I tried to listen only to Fili's steady heartbeat in my ear, to drown out every worry in my mind, but my efforts were to no avail. The only thing I could do now was throw my nervous energy towards my first objective.

I had conceived the opening act of this final drama in the moment before sleep claimed me the previous night. I, Aria, the lady who could not conceal her true emotions from the ones she loved, had to act.

And oh, what a spectacular performance it would have to be. Because the Aria that would face battle today could not be a frightened nineteen year old girl who needed the protection of my companions. I had every right to be scared out of my wits, but I could not let it show. I could not let Fili and Kili enter that battle with the knowledge that I was fearful.

So I would exude confidence...and I would bid them good luck as they left the mountain to join the battle.

My resolve strengthened with every moment I spent in his arms, and when I pulled away to make eye contact, the fear was confined to a small inner chamber of my being. It still haunted me, twisting knots in my stomach in an attempt to worm its way out, but today was the day that it would not succeed.

"Trust me, alright? I haven't given up on you just yet," I said, forcing the grin on my face to reach my eyes.

Fili heaved a sigh and we just stood there.

I thought he wouldn't answer. Then, from nowhere, he said "I do. Completely."

And I saw in his eyes the certainty behind the words...and I believed him.

Fili and I passed through Erebor quickly. We paid little heed to our surroundings, for last night, after I'd destroyed my last tie to earth in the fires of the forges, I'd shown him all the wonders I had found throughout the mountain, ending with the manor.

My heart quickened as we neared the gate, and the sense of determination in my steps faltered.

" _No. Not today,"_ I reprimanded my feet, and the determination returned to them.

Those muffled echoes that grew closer with our every step were not figments of my imagination. They were not scenes of a film. They were as real as Fili or I. Fili, whose heart would cease to beat later that day.

My husband.

Then there were the other members of the company. _My kin_ , I realized with a shock as we sighted Dwalin, Balin, and Oin chatting quietly up ahead.

Somehow, it didn't change the way I felt about any of them. For all intents and purposes, they had been my family long before I had made those eternally binding vows to their eldest prince.

I huffed a laugh as I realized that I'd been so focused on the coming battle that forgoten to worry about my companions' reactions.

The laugh died on my lips.

The mood in the entrance hall was grave, and I hardly feel the need to write that the company recieved no news from Fili and I that morning.

Nobody ate much, nobody attempted to make light of the situation, and nobody mentioned Thorin's absence as they donned their armor and ascended the battlement steps.

* * *

Above her, the heavens were veiled in a low cloud of gloom.

The scent of brimstone and death hung in the air, forcing itself into Tauriel's nose and down her throat.

She could have ignored it completely if some sixth sense inside her had not whispered a frightened warning.

 _This is not a good place. This is not a good place. Go not one step further._

Tauriel dismiss the warnings and spent most of her strength on keeping her breaths shallow as possible.

She and Legolas had abandoned their mount some ways back and were now on foot. They kept low to the rocky ground and sought shelter behind boulders wherever they could find it.

Legolas led Tauriel up a rocky outcrop, and she nearly stumbled several times. She needed deeper breaths but was unwilling to take them. Instead, she compensated for the temporary losses in balance and continued on.

Once they had found sufficient cover at the top of the outcropping, Tauriel dared to speak, her breath taken at the sight of the evil fortress before her.

"Gundabad. What lies beyond?"

She turned to Legolas for his answer.

"An old enemy - The ancient kingdom of Angmar. This fortress was once its stronghold. It is where they kept their great armories, forged their weapons of war."

Tauriel's heart sank. She had hoped the rumors about this place were exaggerated. As cruel fate would have it, the opposite was true.

Then, there was something. A flicker. No.

"A light! I saw movement," Tauriel breathed.

Her Prince didn't doubt her. His order was immediate."We wait for the cover of night. It is a fell place, Tauriel. In another age our people waged war on those lands." Here, Legolas paused. Concerned for him, Tauriel turned to meet his eyes.

"My mother died there. My father does not speak of it. There is no grave, no memory, nothing."

They dared not disturb the tainted air with their voices any further. And so, the hours crawled by. Boredom clawed like a knife at Tauriel's insides. She caught herself fidgeting with the rocks at her feet on four different occasions.

At long last darkness fell, and when Tauriel could stand it no longer, she told Legolas that if they were going in, they should move at that very moment.

No sooner had the words left her lips then a host of massive bat-like creatures erupted from the rock face not ten paces in front of them. Tauriel ducked instinctively, eyes widening. She had never seen a creature of that sort. Not in all the hundreds of years she'd been fighting.

"Dúilith secherig," Tauriel whispered as she noted their pattern. The creatures were swarming.

Legolas' reply was deeply troubling.

"These bats are bred for one purpose," he whispered.

"For what?"

Legolas glared up at the predators as two terrible words fell from his lips;"For war."

As the bats swarmed overhead, a figure rode from the fortress astride a Warg. It was Bolg, dressed for battle. This was the orc Legolas had nearly lost to. He raised his mace and shouted out a command in that foul language. A fell horn blew from the deep, and the gates at the base of the fortress opened, releasing rank upon rank of massive orcs, each with a giant spear at least three times longer than the orcs' height.

As Bolg shouted another command, Tauriel's blood chilled. The army marched and marched and marched with no end to their numbers in sight.

Somehow, Tauriel had the presence of mind to remind Legolas that they needed to warn the others.

When Legolas said that they might already be too late, Tauriel's worst fears were given a voice.

She followed quickly behind him, nimbly descended the outcropping, and sprinted for the horse they'd left behind.

* * *

"Keep your head down," Daeron growled through his teeth. Freya turned to glare at him.

"Do you honestly think anyone in that camp is paying attention to this one spot in the hills?" she hissed back and ignored his order.

Daeron rolled his eyes but made no retort. She was right. Dwarves were rarely concerned with small details, unless those details were to be printed on a plate of armor or a piece of jewelry.

The two unwilling traveling companions had been hiding out in a hillside copse at the edge of Dain's camp since they had found it just before supper.

They had run the entire day to catch up to the army and despite the agility and speed Daeron had inherited from his father, he was exhausted and aching. Freya, on the other hand, was annoyingly energetic. She'd easily kept pace with him and didn't even show signs of being out of breath when they'd found the war camp. Now, Daeron rested with his head against a tree and Freya knelt behind a large boulder, head peeking out the side, watching.

"I still think we should sneak down for food," Freya said, finally withdrawing her head and turning to rest her back against the boulder.

Daeron shook his head. "Too risky. No. If you wanted food you should have brought some yourself," he shrugged.

"Oh, so you're telling me that you aren't hungry, therefore I shouldn't be hungry," Freya said knowingly, crossing her arms.

Daeron had to clap a hand over his mouth to muffle the laugh that burst unbidden from him. "No, no that isn't even slightly what I meant."

"You implied it," Freya sighed in exasperation.

"I most certainly did not," Daeron said, an expression of mirth still playing about his face. "So, tell me," he continued. "How does a princess decide to take up a sword?"

Freya took in a deep breath and let her head hit the boulder behind her.

"It's a long, silly story," she said, shutting her eyes.

"Silly?" Daeron asked. "What happened to the dwarf maiden who halled three people halfway across Middle Earth for this?"

Freya shook her head. "I'm not taken seriously by any of those people. My cousin came to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. And my parents? They would have turned us around right in that mountain pass if they hadn't been trapped by an avalanche. Maybe it was ridiculous after all," she said and scoffed at the apparent hilarity of her own actions.

Daeron frowned. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this wild female who would cross mountains and go to battle all while doubting her own sanity. She was definitely insane, of that there was no question in Daeron's mind...but he couldn't help his initial feeling of intense dislike towards her slipping away. It was remolding itself into an interest that he couldn't quite place. A curiosity that had nothing to do with the steel in her eyes as she had hurled that dagger for his head back in the war room. It had nothing to do with the alliance she'd been willing to form if it meant getting to that mountain. But then, maybe it had everything to do with those things.

Daeron shook his head. If she was the only ally he would have in this fight, it did no good to have her doubting her own motivation.

"You do realize," Daeron began, "That there is an army camped down in that valley purely because of your insight,"

 _There, that should help._ He thought.

To his surprise, the comment didn't help one bit.

Freya scoffed. "Yeah, I know. That's my entire point. I've probably just saved the entire lonely mountain and no one cares to include me any further than what I do myself."

Daeron decided then that he was getting tired of the princess's rant, and chose his final words carefully.

"You, Freya, are absolutely right. No one thinks to include you. Being left behind was a pure snub towards you. You, are a young female who can't take care of herself. Goodnight," he said curtly, before leaning back against the hillside and shutting his eyes.

He enjoyed around two seconds of blissful silence before Freya spoke again.

"Fine. So I complain too much, but I can claim this; I wasn't left behind because I'm female," she said, and Daeron would have left her words hanging, unanswered, in mid-air if he hadn't caught a slight undertone in them.

"Is that jealousy I detect?" he queried.

Freya scoffed.

"Hardly," she said. "But maybe resentment. The company has a female translator, and whoever she is, she's gone through hell with my brothers in the past months. Her spot in that company should have been given to a Durin!" Freya said, her whisper rising in pitch with every word.

Daeron cracked an eye open to peer at her.

"You mean you're jealous," he pointed out.

"So what if I am?" she asked.

"So, I'm not entirely convinced that you aren't just as overprotective as your parents. Why else would you be so worried that a lady is spending sooo much time with your dear elder brothers?" Daeron asked, letting both eye slide shut once more.

This time, Freya's reply was instantaneous. "Pe-channas!"

Daeron's eyes flew open.

"What was that?" he asked, in a tone much louder than what was prudent.

"I called you an idiot," she snapped. "Do you think I am so empty-headed as to waste my energy on thoughts of romantic affairs which I have no control over? If I envy that lady it is only because I know that I could have done what she was asked to do! I've known that I would travel far from my home since before I could ride a pony, and I've been learning battle craft every day since then. But, I've also read enough of every language I could obtain to understand the tongues of this world," she hissed, a hard light flashing in her eyes.

Daeron's interest was aroused. "How did you learn?"

"Books. I'd compare translations. Fili and Kili used to escort merchants and they'd sneak me copies. They were both interested, but I was the only one patient enough to learn," Freya said, shaking her head.

Daeron leaned forward, carefully dropping all pretenses of insincerity.

The question he asked was simple."Do you know black speech?"

Freya's eyes widened, just enough for Daeron to know that she understood the words he had not uttered.

A quick nod of her head was her only response.

* * *

A cacophony of death and anger and pain wrent the air. The screams and battle cries of friend and foe alike echoed through the valley in an unending stream. And there was I, a helpless observer of it all.

The sight of the elves in their shining armor had taken the breath from me. I'd allowed myself a triumphant smile upon the arrival of Dain's forces. And then, the great monsters-the earth eaters- had broken through the ground and where the creatures slid, orcs followed.

I couldn't watch for long. It was terrible. Heart in my throat, a tear at one eye, I'd stumbled backward until I hit the wall. It wasn't anything like the small skirmishes of the road. My run from the wargs on the hills outside of Rivendell had been different. There, it was only my life at stake and it yes it had been terrifying, but when the armies in the valley had clashed, the scents of blood and bodies and suffering had filled my ears and those weren't movie extras who would pop back up when the director called cut. These were people whose families would feel the knife of their absence.

In the interest of maintaining my ruse of confidence, I'd excused myself and walked down the steps. I'd made it as far away from the ramparts as I could before I collapsed to the floor of an empty chamber and vomited into an old stone pot. As I panted, my shaking hands found their way to the floor.

Energy curled up my palm and around my wrist and right into me. I summoned it to my core where it solidified and strengthened me. The shaking vanished.

I'd let myself become overwhelmed. I'd done that. Just like I'd let this world sweep me off my feet and surround me with fantasy.

And I hadn't fought it.

I'd hesitated and waited and hoped.

But that ended right there.

I got to my feet and drew my dagger, dragging it lightly across my palm. Blood pooled in its path. One eye on the trail of ruby liquid, one on the power that I had drawn from the stone, I ordered the power to my hand and willed the small cut to close. It did, and easily too.

As I stared at my palm in cold understanding, a single drop of blood fell to the ground.

Now, back on the ramparts, hours had passed. No one ate. We hardly talked. I sat beside Fili, fiddling with the small vial of leaves that was now in my pocket.

"I've never resented him. Never questioned him. And now, now I don't know if I could look him in the face," Fili said in a slow, voice laced with anger and hatred.

"There's naught you can do against dragon sickness," Balin said, his focus never leaving the slaughtering field below.

"Is that true?" Fili asked, his sapphire eyes flashing towards me in demand for an answer.

"Why would she know?" Gloin asked. His attempt at belligerence fell utterly flat.

"Because I know dwarves," I said, injecting as much feeling into the words as I could manage. "I know that our weakness for gold and treasure is utterly undone by our passion and loyalty and stubbornness! Thorin was in agony at the thought of becoming anything like his grandfather, but he didn't notice the sickness coming upon him. But the dwarf down in those mountain halls is not our king. We have to-" At this, I was interrupted.

"Do you dare to speak of our leader in that manner? He is sick, affected, and you would give him up now?" Dwalin practically shouted at me.

I stood and glared right back at him.

"I dare to tell the truth. Our king is buried in a coffin of gold and greed. The only way he can be returned to us is if he remembers what and who he is, and if you want to protect your kin in that valley you would march down there and confront him, Dwalin!" I said, and in that moment I became eerily aware of the eyes of every member of the company on me.

"He is beyond reasoning with," Dwalin growled back at me, his knuckles whitening against the stone parapet, the edge of which he gripped with all his might as if he were restraining himself.

I laughed. A cold, harsh sound that I'd never made before. "Good! In his state reasoning won't work anyway. Unless Thorin Oakenshield remembers his hatred for that sickness, he won't take up a sword for his people anytime soon. So if I were you, Dwalin son of Fundin, I would march down into that mountain and remind him!" I said, stepping towards him with each statement until I glared into his rough-hewn face. I mirrored his posture, brushing my own hand against the parapet wall.

The dwarf's glare ebbed away from his features as he stared at me. My glare did no such thing. And the look of shock on Dwalin's face as he backed away from me. Just a step. His hand fell to his side, and his eyes slid from me to his hand and back again.

"Who are you?" he rasped.

"Who are you," I repeated, "to abandon your king in the heat of a battle he will most surely lose without you."

Dwalin flexed his hand. Once. Twice.

And then he turned made for the stairs.

He'd been gone for only a moment before the sounds of war found their way back into my ears and the stares of the remaining dwarves registered in my mind.

No one would say a word. I stalked off after Dwalin. Not to follow him, but to get some distance. I knew how his meeting with Thorin would transpire and I was uninterested in being there when Dwalin retired from being told by Thorin to get out of his sight.

I entered the guardroom on the right side of the staircase and relaxed.

I had been able to influence Dwalin's anger using the connection between the place where his hand touched the parapet and the place where mine had done the same.

It had been the final test. The final confirmation of my plan.

"You did that on purpose," Fili's voice said from the doorway.

"Yes," was all I said.

"Is Dwalin going to bring Thorin back?" he asked bleakly.

I shook my head.

"Are we going to fight?" he asked.

I paused. Fili knew me better than anyone else in this world or the other. He had shown me his every secret, hope, and wish, and yet...and yet I'd kept as much of this venture as I could to myself.

I turned to him.

"Yes, we will fight," I said, a hand drifting up to grab the pommel of my dagger.

Fili walked towards me.

"You spoke like a queen. A completely disrespectful one, but still…you acted as if it was important that Dwalin went down to see Thorin. If not to bring him back, then why?" I saw the question in his eyes.

"Because he will tell Thorin something he needs to hear. Thorin will come, eventually," I said, the knot in my stomach tightening.

"We're going to lose, aren't we?" Fili said in a measured tone.

I had one last chance to turn back before speaking. I didn't take it.

Instead, I took his hand in mine and looked him right in the face and I told Fili the absolute truth.

I repeated to him the contents of each remaining event of the battle as I had seen it unfold over and over again.

When I reached the events of Ravenhill I halted, shook my head, and continued. I didn't meet his eyes as I revealed to him the horrible truth of his fate and that of his brother and uncle.

When I finished, I looked up, expecting to find his eyes locked on mine, I found him staring instead at our intertwined hands.

"Say something," I begged.

He shook his head in silence and only spoke after a long pause.

"I wouldn't have cared. Before this journey, I wouldn't have cared. Actually, I would have jumped at the chance to give everything for my homeland. But now...now I don't want to go," he said, his voice thick with emotion, and he let go of my hand and took me into his arms. He held me as if I was the only thing keeping him alive. And I returned the gesture in kind.

"Don't follow me," he murmured into my hair.

"Into battle?" I asked.

"Into death," he replied. "Not for years and years."

"I'll fight for my life with every breath I have," I said, smiling sadly. I chose not to add that I'd fight because saving my own life was the only way to save his.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but the sound of Dwalin's boots echoed in the hall beyond and I stepped away from the embrace.

"I'll be up in a moment, but I'd best not be there when he gets back," I whispered.

Fili nodded, and as he did, I saw his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Tears that he would never let fall in front of me...not at a time like this.

And as we parted, as he turned and walked out into the entry hall, as I heard him hail Dwalin, a furious calm settled over me, the like of which I had never felt before.

* * *

 **The ideas came in flashes which I turned over one by one before tucking them away or discarding them. I paced the length over and over again, and there was too much time in silence and contemplation but simultaneously I needed so much more.**

At last, I heard a set of purposeful and precise boots step into the entry hall.

I flew to the door and there he was. Thorin strode across the hall, sword in hand and a look of clarity on his face that I had not seen there for so long.

I stepped out into the hall to greet him, and to my shock, he smiled.

"You have been missed, oh King," I said.

"I have been a fool," Thorin replied, halting as he reached me.

"I won't disagree, but you weren't yourself. I have no doubt the company's faith in you remains unwavering," I said, a pretty smile masking the calm rage that still boiled within me.

"Their faith is not something that I deserve," The king said, his brow furrowing.

"Regardless, you have it. And you have my faith as well," I said, inclining my head in a bow.

"An allegiance that you do not owe me, as I still lack the Arkenstone… but an allegiance I thank you for never the less," Thorin said in his familiar, gruff manner.

I surprised myself with my next words. "Maybe you are not King but by law, you are my uncle, so I believe I do owe you that allegiance.

Thorin, to his credit, didn't show any outward signs of surprise. He nodded knowingly as if it were something he expected.

"We should return to the company," he said and turned towards the parapet. I walked slightly behind him. It was, I realized, a position that Dwalin usually occupied.

"I did not approve of the match when its potential came to my attention and I must say you two picked a most inopportune time to hold the ceremony but you will, I think, make a decent leader. Besides, you'll get to spend your celebration in classic Longbeard fashion."

"And how is that?" I asked just as we reached the foot of the steps.

"In a fight," Thorin said, and he climbed the stairs.

I decided to wait another minute before ascending the stairs myself, just to let the emotional reunion take place.

If only I knew that I'd never climb those steps again.


	46. The Fallen Prince

Alternatively titled (The Battle of the Five Armies pt. 1)

ie don't please please please don't collectively lose your marbles when this chapter ends. Even if it's sort of a cliffhanger. Not saying that it is.

 **Chapter 46**

Not one day after they dosed outside of Dain's camp, Freya found herself in mortal danger. She and Daeron had slipped into the rank and file of Dain's army before dawn that morning and had managed to avoid every officer and inspection of the camp. Many of the footsoldiers recognized and hailed Daeron, but Freya had mentally thanked him for keeping such encounters brief.

When the army had broken camp, the two had slipped easily into the ranks, hidden from unfriendly eyes by the rows upon rows of hefty armor and polished shields. The final march towards Erebor had been painfully long and unbearably boring for Freya, but when she saw the mountain for the first time her heart had lept in recognition of a place that she had never before seen.

"That's my home," she had whispered.

"It's...uh...it's breathtaking," said Daeron after a pause and a shake of his head.

Freya had turned to see if he was mocking her and had been surprised to see a faint smile etched into his aristocratic features.

That smile had disappeared completely disappeared only hours later. The sun had risen over the golden host of Woodland elves and the dwarves had descended into the valley to confront them.

But when the ground was shaken and the forces of Azog the defiler poured into the valley Freya was undone. No sooner had she unsheathed her weapon then she nearly dropped it.

The feral scent of the hoard wafted towards the Iron Hills army, an army that was smaller in every manner possible, and it had somehow lodged itself up Freya's nose. She nearly gagged.

"Don't focus on that, you'll make yourself lightheaded," Daeron said over the orcs' roar.

"What do I focus on?" Freya shouted back.

"Your weapon. Just don't forget to carry the blows all the way through. You aren't in a training ring anymore!"

He might've said something else but Freya had stopped listening. She gripped the pommel in her hands and shut her eyes, drowning out every noise and sensation in the world around her.

She wasn't ready!

Freya realized with a shock that she was utterly unprepared for what she was about to do. Her parents had warned her. They had warned her that war was more than just a heroic ideal manifested in impassioned stories told around a warm hearth in winter.

But she hadn't listened.

Her parents!

Freya's eyes snapped open as she remembered that they were close. They were somewhere in that same army. She twisted her head around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the other family members she knew were close at hand.

There, atop the hastily constructed stone wall of Erebor, were her brothers. Fili and Kili's forms were easily distinguishable amidst their array of more broadly built companions.

That was her family up there. More of her family was scattered throughout Dain's army.

Looking up at the far-off faces of the brothers she hadn't seen in months, a red-hot rage filled Freya's bones and raced through her blood.

Those orcs would kill everyone she held dear and they would take delight in doing the same to her.

Freya snarled.

"Never," she spat, and she whirled to face the oncoming storm just as it struck.

* * *

Though her resolve never faltered, Freya quickly discovered that she and the rest of the army were floundering. For every orc she fought off, for every practiced blow she delivered, there was another opponent waiting to take her on.

She gained little ground and was nearly blindsided on more than one occasion but she let the more analytical part of her mind take over, focusing just on the movements of each orc and the selection of the strike that would be its downfall.

This rhythm was interrupted after over an hour of fighting.

She was hit.

It was an accidental blow from behind. A knee or an elbow or the blunt end of a shield, Freya couldn't say.

She was sent crashing to the ground with a gasp.

The ground of this desolate place, where the rain refused to fall, was drenched in the blood of elf, orc, and man alike.

All Freya could think was that she'd been hit, she'd been hit, she'd been hit. She was on the ground amidst a sea of stomping feet and soldiers whose screaming seemed a mile off. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Freya thought she might be stabbed or trampled if she didn't stand back up.

Something twisted in her gut as she realized that if she did, she would be unable to fight off any opponents with her head spinning as badly as it was.

Freya struggled to her knees and racked her aching head for a way out of this deadly double bind, but was unable to find a way out.

Wham!

She was down again. Hit in the back by a falling corpse.

An orc.

As her head hit the blood-soaked earth for the second time, she blinked. In front of her, a pair of boots were planted firmly on the ground. Boots with mangled straps of rough leather held together by rusted metal braces.

She cursed under her breath.

Her neck ached as she tilted her jaw back to behold the snarling features of a brute intent on bloodshed.

The thing raised an ax above its head.

Freya gasped and shut her eyes tight.

She searched frantically for a memory. A memory of Fili and Kili. Something happy to give her courage in these final moments.

Instead, she heard Daeron's voice.

"Get up!"

Freya's eyes flew open. The corpse of the orc fell to the side, lifeless.

Daeron's cold eyes met hers as she registered what had just happened.

He stepped over the corpse and offered her his forearm. She grasped it and stood, just in time to see the attack on Daeron from behind.

A slash blocked the thrust that would have ended her ally's life. A stab finished the creature.

Freya turned to face Daeron and panted "we're even."

It was several moments later before he could pause to respond.

"We're dead," he growled, turning to dispatch an orc, "if this doesn't end soon."

Freya ducked a blow to her head, kicking the orc who had dealt it, knocking it off balance long enough to end it.

"We're resilient!" she shouted over the frey.

"Our numbers are limited and we have no knowledge of Azog's tactics!" Daeron shot back.

Freya's focus centered on him.

"Are you saying we leave the fight?" she asked, steel on her lips and in the dark pools of her eyes.

"If it means we learn how to win this fight, then yes," Daeron said. "You don't have to come with me," he amended.

Freya gulped. After everything she had gone through to get to this terrible place...after everything, he was asking her to leave?

Her eyes flitted from Daeron's questioning features to the duels nearest them. The battle was going poorly.

Daeron couldn't spy on Azog's commanders, he did not know their language.

The duels

Daeron.

Back to the duels.

Back to Daeron.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Duck!" she shouted, before swinging her blade through the spot his head had been mere seconds before.

The orc who had attempted to sneak up on them fell to the ground, revealing a glimpse of the watchtower sitting above the valley.

Freya nodded once.

"To Ravenhill," she said.

* * *

"Any questions?" Fili asked, looking around the circle of thirteen intent faces.

"It's perfect. This should take no longer than necessary to execute," Thorin said, nodding at the drawing Fili had etched into the dust with his blade.

A rig.

A contraption meant to hoist the great bell of Erebor back into the recesses of the hall before releasing it to destroy the very wall atop which we all stood.

"If we're all clear, let's move on," Fili said, the command in his tone more assertive than I had ever found it.

There was a quick nod all round and then the circle broke.

I lingered as they left to construct the rig. The battle below was still being fought on both sides. The elves had all but vanished into Dale, but the dwarves were not yet to the point of defeat.

They were not yet to the part where they would regroup for a final stand.

My company had time.

They had time to build their rig and send themselves crashing into that battle.

But after that?

I clutched the dagger at my side.

After that, their clock would tick down the minutes very quickly.

After that, my work would begin.

I chanced a look down at the diagram.

I frowned as I studied it more carefully.

During his explanation of how the thing was to operate, I confess I'd been more occupied with him than his drawing.

"Lovesick fool," I whispered as I noticed what I'd failed to see only moments before. The mechanism would need to be released. Somebody would have to release the bell. Someone would need to remain behind.

* * *

"When that wall goes down, you wait. Wait until the bell slows down. Then, and only then do we break cover," Thorin ordered. We waited in the center of the hall, a final touch having just been added to the quickly built contraption.

"We could leave with the bell. If we were to stand just there when it was released it would not crush us," Fili said, gesturing to a spot nearby.

"Good," said Thorin.

The King under the mountain drew his sword.

All around me, the dwarves did the same.

And then he spoke.

"I would have no one else by my side for this. When we enter that battle, we will do it as one company, unshattered, unyielding, and willing to protect our own with our last breath."

The dwarves cheered and followed Thorin to the place Fili had gestured to.

I separated myself from the group and planted my hands on my hips.

"Not as one company," I said as they lapsed into silence.

"What is this?" Thorin asked.

I took a couple of steps closer to them. I was now within a sword's distance.

"Somebody has to release the bell," I said to no one in particular.

Thorin turned to face the dwarves, who promptly began to mutter amongst themselves.

"We don't have time for this! I'll do it!" I shouted over them.

I could in no way comprehend the utter silence that fell across the company as I spoke.

"And what then?" asked Dwalin. "Will you join the fight late?"

I didn't answer immediately. All I could do was look from face to concerned face, deliberately avoiding catching Fili's gaze.

I could have hugged them all.

"I consider late arrivals to be a specialty of mine," I said, nodding my head.

I knew what they were all thinking. This was different from any battle we'd faced before. They knew I had no training. They knew that I would almost certainly die and I could only stand there and admire them for offering me the choice to fight anyway.

It was only then that I met Fili's eyes. He stood not two paces in front of me, just off to Thorin's left. He was frowning, not his frown of disapproval, but the frown he reserved for unsolvable problems and unanswerable questions.

And his eyes. There was something so incredibly determined in them.

There was something that he did not want to leave unsaid.

"So, this is goodbye, then?" Gloin asked from the back of the group.

I snapped my focus away from my husband.

"Just for now," I said lifting my lips into a slight grin. "I'll try to get some cooking lessons in before that meeting," I said.

Ori hiccupped.

I laughed nervously and my gaze flitted back to Fili, who looked like he was about to say something.

"Be careful out there," growled Dwalin in the least hostile tone I'd ever heard him use. I might have been incredibly touched, was there not one more goodbye that I wanted to say. One that I couldn't say in front of the oblivious company.

So I nodded. My throat tightened.

And I turned and left them.

A warm hand clasped my wrist before I could make it three steps.

I knew who that hand belonged to before he whirled me back to face him.

I relaxed, thanking every higher power for these last few words I would be given.

I could see the goodbye forming on his lips when an impulse hit me.

Without a second thought to the matter, I brought a hand up to brush his shoulder and leaned in to press my lips against his own.

The kiss was quick, for I did not forget the audience we had, but there were so many unsaid words exchanged in that moment.

 _I love you._

 _Be safe._

 _I'm scared._

 _We have to hurry._

 _We're running out of time._

 _We have no time._

"I'll be fine," I said, pulling away from him

"I know," he said, his voice strong and steady. He squeezed my hand and let go.

With that, I set my plan into action.

I embraced him one more time and whispered "if anything at all happens out there, don't blink. It doesn't make sense now, but it will later. Nod once if you understand."

There was a pause before he nodded once, very slowly.

And when he did, we parted ways.

As I crossed to the place where I would cut the hastily rigged restraints and free that bell, I listened for the company's reaction.

Despite the terrors we were all about to face, I nearly snorted as I heard my companions start to mumble amongst themselves.

"You owe me twelve gold pieces."

"If we come back, Gloin, you'd best prepare to empty your pockets."

And then I recognized Fili's indignant voice. "You took bets on us?"

I reached the ropes and drew my dagger.

"Be ready!" I called to them.

An unearthly silence blanketed the entry hall.

Then I heard Bombur blowing the horn of the mountain.

And my world came crashing down around me.

* * *

It was hell.

I had no other way to describe the bloodshed and the screams and the scent of festering flesh and blood and decay.

There was no other way to put into words the terrors I witnessed upon joining the battle mere minutes after my company had charged into the valley.

I didn't fight, I didn't even try. My task in this battle was not the task of a warrior and I did not pretend it was anything of the sort. I was quick and quiet and went almost unnoticed as I skirted the battle, taking advantage of every shadow that I came across and every boulder in my way.

The game was a terrible one, but it was crucial to keep playing well, and I thought I was doing just that until I made the mistake of stepping into the light. I was nearing the old watchtower, that I knew, but I needed to gauge the distance between Ravenhill and my current position.

The orc was behind me before I could say knife, and was raising its curved scimitar.

No.

I was not going to die here.

I threw my dagger blade over pommel towards its head, hoping against hope for beginners luck to favor my arm.

The orc caught my dagger. By the blade.

And it laughed, a deep, rasping, ugly sound that nearly made me vomit.

And then it fell face first to the ground.

There was a long silver dagger protruding from the back of the creature's neck. Most definitely dead.

Horror, shock, and amazement were all coursing through my veins as I looked up from the corpse to thank my savior.

"Keep the knife," said a stoically built darrow, and he gestured to the blade now sprouting from the dead orc.

"Whoever you are, you should get off the battlefield. It isn't safe," the dwarf elaborated. He swung himself out of the saddle of what looked for all the world like an oversized goat and offered me the reigns.

"You need him more than I do," the stranger said, offering me the reigns.

As I made eye contact to thank him for his generosity, I recognized the eyes. Warm brown. Then, I saw the wavy golden hair and beard. The resemblance was undeniable.

"Findrir?" I asked.

"Who's asking?" said a third voice, and I looked up to see a female with long raven hair and fire in her piercing blue eyes, riding up to us.

This was not how I had imagined meeting my in-laws.

More importantly, I didn't have time for banter. There, in the distance, I saw a dwarven war sleigh pulled by a team of white goats break away from the fighting and spirit off towards the river.

I wordlessly took the reins Findrir offered me.

"Fin," the female, Dis, warned.

"She needs a swift set of hooves more than I do. It's the least I could do is offer the beast to someone who didn't bring a weapon to a war," he explained.

As I mounted the goat, I noticed Dis purse her lips and then scrutinize my hands as I positioned the reins.

"Your husband didn't suggest bringing a sword?" she asked skeptically.

"He probably tried at some point," I shrugged, guiding the goat to the left.

"By the way," I said over my shoulder, "your sons are a credit to you both."

With that, I nudged the goat's sides into a canter.

I needed to get out of the valley.

I was bound for Ravenhill.

* * *

The horse thundered through the streets of Dale, with Tauriel and Legolas slicing through any foul opponent who dared to obstruct their path.

Tauriel had long since become accustomed to the noises, the scents, and the chaotic game board that was battle but the screams of children were all but foreign to her. She had to struggle against the urge to vault off the horse and run towards those screams as fast as her legs could carry her.

Their charge through Dale ended at a point high in the falling city, where Legolas spotted a wizened old man in a grey cloak and pulled the horse up alongside him.

"Gandalf!" Legolas said as they reached the old man.

Tauriel's jaw nearly dropped. Only fools and very small elflings had never heard of the legendary wizard.

"Legolas...Legolas Greenleaf!" the wizard answered.

Legolas wasted no time in imparting the news that they had carried with such urgency.

"There is a second army! Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us," he said.

"Gundabad…This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces, then Bolg seeps in from the north," he said, face darkening with the realization that they had all been duped.

Tauriel didn't notice the sword-bearing hobbit until he spoke. "Wha...the north...where is the north, exactly?!" he asked.

"Ravenhill," rumbled the wizard, turning away from them and striding to a nearby parapet where he trained his gaze on the highest point in the valley.

Tauriel nearly asked why that position could be so much more dreadful, when the hobbit spoke once again, a fearful protest that chilled her blood.

"Ravenhill…Thorin is up there! And Fili and Kili - they're all up there!"

She could feel the blood drain from her face.

There was a flood of evil and untamed violence flooding towards them and it would wash over Ravenhill leaving all caught there dead under the sheer mass of its numbers.

And Kili was up there.

Only Tauriel's discipline and strong jaw kept the cry of horror in her throat.

He was going to die.

An image of his eyes, the sound of his laugh, the feeling of his hand in hers...they all raced through Tauriel's head in a frantic circle as she, Legolas, Gandalf, and the hobbit turned horrified eyes towards the mountain.

It was only then that she realized she didn't need time to make her decision. She could not afford to wait and explore her own feelings and her own regards. Moreover, she didn't need it.

She tried to imagine how life would be once those eyes closed for the last time...how life would be when that calm sensibility and kind wit left this world forever.

And she nearly vomited at the thought.

Tauriel vaulted from the horse, her boots hitting the ground with a firm thump.

"Is the king in this city?" she asked Gandalf.

"He is. For now. He leads the remainder of his soldiers towards the western gate," Gandalf said.

"Why must you know?" Legolas asked.

But Tauriel was already too far away to answer.

* * *

Thranduil rounded the corner in front of her, leading a small contingent of troops, just as the wizard had said.

She held her ground.

In the native tongue of her people, Tauriel ordered her king to go no further.

"You will not turn away - not this time!" she said.

Thranduil's glare lanced through her."Get out of my way!" he spat.

She hadn't planned her speech past this point.

"The dwarves will be slaughtered!" she said, speaking the first truth that came to her mind.

Thranduil's reply was patronizing and with every polished world that he spoke, a fiery rage swept through her veins. "Yes, they will die. Today, tomorrow, one year hence, a hundred years from now - what does it matter? They are mortal."

But now Tauriel was mortal too. And it had opened her eyes and broken her years of training and snapped her restraint in one fatal blow.

As Thranduil approached, she moved.

Quick as lightning, her bow was out and she had an arrow nocked.

"You think your life is worth more than theirs, while there is no love in it? There is no love in you!" Tauriel hissed.

Thranduil's glare dripped with contempt and disgust, and before she could react, his sword had left its sheath, cut through the air, and snapped her bow in two.

She held onto the pieces with trembling fingers for only a moment before letting them fall to the ground.

The king raised his sword to her throat for emphasis as he spoke.

"What do you know of love?! Nothing! What you feel for that dwarf is not real!" every word hit her like a fatal blow. For those were her own doubts given voice, and as he spat them, her spirit sank.

"You think it is love?! Are you ready to die for it?"

The shock left her at this question. There was her answer, the answer that had begun to form in her mind as she stared towards Ravenhill.

Was she prepared to die for Kili? Was that act of self-sacrifice enough to separate love from mere infatuation? Because if it was, Tauriel had loved the younger prince of Erebor since long before he'd confessed his love for her.

And the king just might slit her throat for it.

Thranduil's intentions, whatever they may have been, were blocked by an elegant elven blade laid just atop his own.

It was Orcrist.

"If you harm her, you will have to kill me," said Legolas, pushing his father's blade away from her throat.

The king's glare shifted from his son to Tauriel, and she wisely remained still until Legolas spoke again.

"I will go with you," said Legolas, turning towards Tauriel.

No sooner had the words left his lips when she was spinning on her heel and hurrying in the opposite direction with the wrath of war pounding through her veins and the speed of worry hurrying her footsteps.

* * *

"Their forces are thinning," Daeron whispered to Freya as he slipped back into their hiding spot.

Freya soaked up every bit of news, as he relayed it and she attempted to paint the picture of the battle far below them in her mind.

The two had made the trek and climb to Ravenhill on swift and silent feet, shedding their armor at the foot of the peak that was the watchtower's resting place. The climb had been laborious, but nothing too difficult for either of them.

When they'd reached the top, they'd found a small cupboard-like space in the upper levels of the watchtower and hidden in it.

Freya had listened and interpreted every muffled order they had heard. It was mostly inconsequential nonsense and she had been of half a mind to emerge from their hiding spot and storm Azog's command deck right then and there but Daeron had convinced her to stay where she was.

She had hesitated, the thirst for battle still lighting her eyes, but then she had realized something.

There were scores of dwarves down in the valley defending their homeland. They were more experienced than she and far better protected than she, but Freya remained the only one among them who could interpret the enemy's orders. Staying in this hidden place did not mean she was any less of a fighter. The blade did not define her ability to serve her people.

And so she had let Daeron leave for a time and had only just returned.

"Thorin has come out from the mountain with the entirety of his company in tow. The troops have rallied to him and they are beginning to subdue the enemy," he reported.

Freya inhaled sharply.

"Thorin is fighting?" she asked.

Daeron nodded his head.

"And my brothers," she said, "Did you see them?"

Daeron paused in thought for a moment.

"The two young ones. One dark haired the other fair?" he asked.

Now it was Freya's turn to nod.

"They're on their way here right now."

Freya had never let such a colorful string of obscenities fall from her mouth. When she had hissed every foul word and phase she could think of, she asked Daeron if he was sure of what he had seen.

"I am certain. Your uncle means to end this battle here and now. He's going to kill Azog," Daeron said, sitting down.

"They'll be slaughtered on the slopes of this mountain. I have to go he-"

"Shhhh!" Daeron hissed, stopping Freya mid-sentence.

She reddened. "Don't tell me to-"

"There's someone coming," he whispered frantically, unsheathing his sword.

Sure enough, an approaching shadow was illuminated by a torch on the wall just outside their hiding spot.

Freya sprung up into a crouch, drawing her own blade.

"We'll be discovered," she breathed.

"Not if I can help it," Daeron said, the lines of his regal features hardening.

He stood and rounded the corner in one sleek movement, leaving Freya to stand and wait in tense silence as she listened to the sound of a scuffle in the hall beyond.

Metal hit metal once before Freya heard a voice that was certainly not Daeron and definitely not one of Azog's lookouts.

"I'm not an orc, you blithering idiot!" the voice snapped.

Daeron's reply was instantaneous and just as pretentious as his first words towards her.

"Forgive me, lady," he said, "but we are in a watchtower inhabited almost exclusively by bloodthirsty orcs. One cannot be too careful."

"One? It sounded like there were two of you just a moment ago. You could be a bit more careful. Your voices, for instance, could be a bit quieter," the female said.

"Indeed," Daeron said, "care to take cover?" he asked.

And with that, neither spoke again. Freya heard footsteps.

She was sheathing her sword when Daeron and the newcomer rounded the corner and ducked their heads to enter the recess.

As her companion introduced himself in a hushed voice, she looked the newcomer over from head to toe.

The female was of a smaller, more delicate build than Freya. Certainly not a warrior.

She might have been considered beautiful among men and maybe even elves, with her pale skin and raven curls, but Freya would have passed her off as someone who would be long dead by the end of the battle had she not seen the determined light in her eyes.

"What brings you up here?" Daeron asked as he leaned against the wall.

"A better question might be who are you and where does your allegiance lie?" Freya asked quietly.

* * *

"My allegiance is to the line of Durin. My name's Aria," I said.

Freya seemed nonplussed.

"You and I corresponded," I said, hoping to jog her memory.

She nodded.

"You wrote the letter?" asked the male who had intercepted me in the hall.

"I did. And I'm here on behalf of the dwarves who have just submitted this peak," I said.

I was about to ask just how Fili and Kili's younger sister ended up on the second level of the watchtower when I heard the chilling voice of Azog the Defiler from just one level above. He was right over our heads!

The words were foul. They spelled out the company's doom in syllables of that black tongue that cut the air around us like knives.

Freya cursed under her breath.

Did she know what the pale orc said?

"What was that?" the male, Daeron, asked, turning to Freya.

"He's telling his sentries to move away from any visible place in the watchtower. He says that Oakenshield and his heirs have arrived at last. He is laying a trap for them," Freya said.

"You speak the language?" I asked.

"Fluently," was her quiet reply.

"What is there to be done?" Daeron asked, turning towards me.

"Wait," said Freya, "he wasn't finished."

We quieted as a second voice, this one winy and wheezing, spat out its report.

This time, I translated. I didn't need to hear that report to know what was said.

"Bolg is coming. He leads a force of Gundabad orcs from the north. They have been spotted. They will overtake Ravenhill before much time has passed."

"Dain has to be warned," Daeron said, "If he is ambushed, the dwarves don't stand a chance."

"That's impossible. It would take us far too long to get back to the valley," Freya said, shaking her head.

I shook my head.

"Not impossible. Not if only one of you goes. Daeron, there's a war goat tied to a post at the back entrance of the watchtower. If you leave now, you'll make it," I said, gesturing in the direction Daeron would need to take.

He nodded, drew his sword, and ducked out of the alcove.

I heard his footsteps pause just outside of the hiding spot and then his head re-appeared around the corner.

"Na lû e-govaned vîn," Freya said.

"Is that farewell?" Daeron asked.

"Yes," she replied, "but it implies another meeting."

He opened his mouth to say something else but decided against it. And with that decision, the male turned and left for good.

"A half-breed who doesn't speak sindarin? That'll make for a good story," I remarked.

"How do you know he's a half-breed?" Freya asked.

I thought about Kahli and Ella, the only other half-elf half-dwarves I'd seen. The little girls whose existence depended on my actions in the next few minutes.

"I've met others," I said, shrugging and poking my head into the hall. It was deserted.

"Who are you? Besides the meaningless facts you gave us," Freya said from behind me.

I ducked into the hallway and grabbed the torch from its low-hanging sconce on the wall and ducked back into the alcove.

"It's a long and improbable story that we don't have time for right now. I could show you quicker than I could tell you," I said.

She stood, eyeing me suspiciously, and took the torch when I offered it to her.

"Did you say Azog was directly above us?" I asked.

"Yes."

"So, we're on the fifth level of the tower?" I asked, cursing my own carelessness for not checking.

"No. Daeron and I saw him move down to the fifth level on our climb up the slope. We wanted to translate the orders Azog was giving, so we hid directly below his platform. He's still up there, hiding," she said, "Why does it matter?"

The question caught me off guard. The plans I had made were designed for only one person, but if anything went wrong it would help to have someone else in on my plan.

"It matters because-well, just watch this," I said.

I turned and extended my hands towards either side of the entrance to the hiding spot. I took one step closer to the entrance, my fingertips now brushing each side.

I heard Freya gasp as the stone began to flow outwards, reaching out into the entryway until the two columns met and knitted together, and the opening dwindled to just a few small airways near the ceiling.

"What in Mahal's name did you do? We're trapped!" she sputtered. "How?" she asked.

I turned back to her and found her initial expression of mistrust deepened to one of anger.

"I said it was easier to show than tell, but if you must have both," I mused, going over the next steps of the plan in my head and trying to calm my racing heart.

I was about to continue when I heard hurried footsteps in the corridor beyond our enclosed cell.

The footsteps paused just outside.

Two pairs of them, judging by the sound.

Then a drum beat once somewhere ahead of us. One of the figures outside moved and I had to clap both hands over my mouth to stop myself from calling out.

That was Fili and Kili. They were right there on the other side of the wall I had just constructed.

"Stay here. Search the lower levels. I've got this," said Fili, and I heard a strangled sound escape Freya.

"Is that…?" she began.

I nodded.

"Open the wall. Do it!" she hissed.

"I can't," I whispered.

"You heard Azog, there are more coming. They'll be trapped," she hissed.

I shook my head, biting my lip as it began to quiver.

"You're condemning them to death. Did you not travel with them for months? Do you not care whether they live or die?" she asked, a growl entering her voice.

I heard Kili turn and run off in the other direction and I had to cross my arms to keep my hands away from the wall.

My Fili was on the other side of that wall. I could save him this instant.

Then I remembered a time long ago. The moment I had discovered that my actions had always impacted the plot of the story.

Doing anything right then and there was impossible.

I heard Fili start to make his way down the hall and I exhaled. Only then did I notice the twin trails of tears running down my face.

I snapped into action, crossing the space to the wall nearest Freya and laying a palm on it.

"What are you doing? If you've just killed my-" Freya started.

"I wouldn't. Now listen," I said as I started to direct the stone.

"We have little time and there's much you need to know," I said, keeping an eye on the chamber around us as the ceiling rose and small stone bars took form on the walls. A ladder.

"I am a Valarindi. It means I am a descendant of the Valar. Mahal and Yavana are my maternal grandparents. That explains the powers. You with me so far?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yes," said Freya, turning sharply towards the hall as the sounds of many pairs of boots stomping in time to a deadly rhythm filled our ears.

"He's not going to make it out," she whispered.

"No," I said. "He's not. I was sent here because I've...seen things. I know how this will end."

"What? You're telling me that you knew my brothers would be just outside. You knew that Fili was walking into a death trap and you did nothing?" she asked, tears filling her own eyes.

I looked up. The chamber was now well over a story high with rungs leading all the way to the top. I cut off the flow of energy and the rock settled into its new shape.

"Today, it is imperative that two things happen. First, your family must survive this war. Second, the whole world has to see them die. I have every intention of making sure that both of those things happen," I said, crossing to the ladder.

"Do I have your word?" Freya asked.

I extended my right hand to her.

"You do," I said.

"Right-handed? It's not hard to believe you aren't a dwarf," Freya said, extending her left hand.

I switched and shook her left hand with mine, noticing the quick glance she threw towards my ring.

The ladder was well crafted and I had no trouble ascending it with Freya a few steps behind me, one hand supporting the torch.

I listened as I climbed, trying to differentiate the sounds of the marching orcs from the sounds that might be made by Azog or one of his guards.

"Here," I breathed, and I laid a hand on the stone in front of my face. It thinned to a fine film of sediment that would allow me to see beyond but would keep any orc from looking in.

"What's happening?" Freya whispered.

I looked out onto the landing and found that Freya and I were positioned on the side of the platform. We were mere feet from the cliff from which Fili would fall.

"Nothing. Now we wait," I said, brushing my fingers along the stone and urging the thicker parts of the wall to thin. I directed the excess stone to form a landing beneath my feet, large enough for Freya and I to stand upon.

Once she had joined me, I formed a makeshift sconce to hold the torch.

"Have you been to Valinor?" she asked as the silence became too much to bear. There was a quaver in her voice, one that hadn't been there before.

"Once," was all I managed.

"When did you join the company?" she asked.

I told her the basics. I didn't have the presence of mind to elaborate much.

We lapsed into silence once more.

 _It shouldn't be taking this long._ I thought to myself as we watched the empty platform. The ledge.

"I saw your parents on the field just before I came here. If it's any consolation, they were unharmed," I said.

Freya seemed to relax. She nodded as if she didn't have the energy to express gratitude in any other way.

"If I survive today, I wish to do so only for them. We did not part well," she said.

And she told me of how her parents had tried to keep her back in the Iron Hills because she was too young.

"A-and how old are you?" I asked, trying to focus on the question as I heard the heavy footfalls of orcs on the stairs to the platform...as I heard the sounds of someone struggling.

"Seventy-five," Freya said, shaking her head. "Of course that's probably just a babe's age to a Valarindi."

 _Focus on the words. Stay calm._

"I'm eighteen," I said.

"And your parents allowed you to travel the world with a group of male dwarves?" she asked.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Closer and closer and closer.

"They didn't care. Be happy your parents cared enough for your life and happiness to keep you from danger," I said, my voice wavering.

"And your husband? What did he think?" Freya asked, glancing in the direction of the approaching orcs.

"He came with me," was all I had the chance to say before I spotted the lights of the orcish forces and heard their war drums.

"Freya, this is important," I said to her, realizing that I had forgotten something imperative. "I was given a vision. In it, Erebor was ransacked and dilapidated. This was a look into a future that cannot come to pass. If I don't make it off of this mountain, there is a task that must be completed."

* * *

The world was moving too slowly and too quickly. Every sound and sensation managed to blur together even as I felt each one with sharp clarity.

Azog was walking forward, Fili struggling in vain to free himself. The eldest prince of Erebor, the company's best scout, my greatest friend in any world, my first and only love.

And he was there in front of me being _dragged_ to an inescapable death.

 _No, that wasn't at all what was happening._

 _Fili was helping me to my room on my first night in Middle Earth._

Azog picked him up off of the ground as if he weighed no more than a small child.

I reached out with my ability as far as I could, sending a small spine of stone to wind its way up the back of Azog's boot and up, up to the arm with which he held Fili.

 _Fili was chastising me for refusing to put up a fight behind the Green Dragon._

 _I was telling him my name on the star-watching rock._

 _Fili and I were yelling at each other in Rivendell._

"This one dies first," Azog spat in black speech.

My thread of stone reached Azog's arm.

 _I was singing for him at Beorn's house._

 _He was kissing me in Thranduil's dungeons._

 _I was leaping across the whitewater into his barrel._

"Then the brother. Then you, Oakenshield," Azog was saying.

I could see Fili struggling.

My thread of stone reached Azog's fingertips and cut through the blue fabric of Fili's tunic.

 _We were falling asleep in Laketown, speaking until our words no longer made sense._

 _We were fleeing Smaug's fire._

 _I was standing before the forges, vowing to love him for better or worse until death would part us._

"You will die last," said Azog in his terrible, triumphant voice.

My thread of stone made contact with the rings of chainmail on Fili's back. The rings whose maker had given cores of stone.

I could feel each link and through that thread I coaxed the links to meld together, creating a barrier of stone. I pumped strength and resilience and endurance into that small area of stone and I held my ground as Azog raised his filthy blade tipped arm and struck Fili in the back.

* * *

I couldn't see. I couldn't hear.

My only sensation was the force of Azog's blade hitting my wall of stone. The blade embedded itself in the stone plate, breaking through the first of my defenses, but not reaching Fili.

I felt it. The pain. The breaking. The splitting of stone from stone as the blade slid up and down.

I gasped as I suffered the consequence that accompanied forcing a natural element to do something it had never been meant to do. The ache nearly brought me to my knees.

Then the blade was being pulled back and the pain was receding.

I cursed under my breath as I withdrew that thread and sent every bit of control I possessed shooting through the tower, towards the snow-covered ground.

And I took a breath before doing the one thing I had been warned not to do.

 _Come on._ I coaxed.

 _You are light. You are soft. You are a feather bed. You will appear to be so, but you are soft._

I felt the stone give way beneath my commands as I willed myself to remain conscious.

I was vaguely aware of someone nearby gasping. Freya.

Azog had dropped Fili.

Seconds passed.

Through the bond that connected me to the stone at the base of the tower, I felt an impact.

I released the stone from my command and felt it return to its usual state, taking so much of my strength with it.

I sagged.

 **Author's note: I'm now deeply regreting any comments I made about cliff hangers at the begining of the chapter...especially considering our eldest prince's current circumstances. Please don't kill me** ** _yet._**


	47. The Departed of Ravenhill

**Chapter 47**

"Aria," Freya said as the other female lost balance.

She caught her and lowered her to a sitting position with her feet only just hanging off the ledge.

"I need a minute," she said as she rested her head against the wall.

"Before what?" Freya asked. She could barely comprehend the world around her. Because that was her eldest brother she had just seen stabbed in the back.

She had watched his head droop and his body go limp before he was dropped from the fifth story of the watchtower.

And though Freya thought she would be angry if she ever lost a member of her family, she felt empty now.

The emptiness and suffocating quiet that entered her mind as she reeled.

That thrashing part of her spirit that was still shaking its head and screaming out "no no no. He's not dead. He can't be!"

But she had seen it.

"Alright. We have to go. We can't rest any longer," Aria rasped, more to herself than to Freya.

"You go first? Leave the torch," Aria said, and Freya was too shocked to object.

This female, this valarindi, had denied her brother shelter with the full knowledge that he would die.

Freya's mind frantically flipped back between anger and hollowness and denial as she descended from the platform.

Aria was little more than halfway down as Freya's feet hit the floor.

When the other female reached the floor, she pulled something out of her pocket.

It was a small vial.

"Dwalin's on the other side of the bridge at the foot of the watchtower. Very soon he's going to be surrounded and in dire need of assistance. As soon as I open this wall, that's the direction we need to go in," Aria said, and if Freya's mind had not been at war with itself, she might have objected.

But Dwalin was in danger and the tears running down her face were of desperation as well as grief. So the wall split apart just enough for the two to slip through it and make for the ground floor.

Freya soon decided that the majority of Bolg's forces must've passed around the watchtower and into the valley. For they encountered little resistance as they passed through the halls and down the staircases of the watchtower.

What orcs they did pass were dealt with quickly, Freya using her sword and Aria impaling the attackers with shards of tone that would shoot up from the wall or the floor wherever the valarindi bid them to do so.

The numbness loosened its grip on Freya with every kill she made. She could feel her senses sharpening and her blood heating as they got closer to the ground.

She even regained enough of her vigilance to notice that every shard of stone sent from the wall or floor took a swath of Aria's energy with it.

"Can't you take energy from the rock or something of that nature?" Freya asked.

Aria shook her head.

"I'm already doing that. But I'd need more time if I wanted to regain a significant amount of strength. That's time we don't have," she had said.

And they'd moved on until they reached a hall that led them out of the watchtower.

Freya stopped moving as she saw the figure lying just outside the tower.

"Fili," she said, her voice feeling strangled as she said his name.

Freya took it and then turned and hurried towards her brother before the dark-haired stranger could stop her again.

When she took a final look back, the hall was empty.

* * *

I didn't stay.

The sight of Fili lying, apparently dead, on the snowy ground nearly ripped the heart from my chest.

But I turned and made my way into the next passage, for my feet were unsteady, and if I had seen him up close, if I sank to my knees beside him, I would not gain the strength to rise again. So, I didn't stay.

As I stumbled down the hall, I realized an inescapable fact; I was in deep trouble.

The plan I'd concocted over the past few days was going as I had planned, even improving when Freya was there to take Fili and Kili the message they would need to know if anything were to happen to me.

However, I hadn't factored in the amount of energy that controlling stone so far below me would take.

When I had sent that spurt of power to soften the rock of the ground beneath the watchtower, I had spent a great amount of my own energy. While I had been drawing strength from the walls of the passage, it was not replenishing at any noticeable rate.

Simply put, I was close to my breaking point.

I staggered through the back halls of the watchtower, not daring to look back at the place where Fili lay unmoving on the ground, the only thought in my mind was that Kili was running out of time. Quickly.

I tried my best to avoid attackers, but when they were impossible to avoid I was forced to utilize my dwindling strength to create stone spikes that would shoot from the walls or floor to end the miserable creatures where they stood.

At last, I reached a side entrance and looked out over the smaller terraces and ramparts of the adjacent buildings. Orcs still climbed through them on an unhindered path into the valley.

I scanned the enemy forces once, twice, three times, searching for a sign of resistance. Most preferably, in the form of a dark-haired dwarf prince.

As I searched frantically, my eyes landed on another player in this deadly game of chess.

Bolg.

That spawn of Azog the Defiler stood, watching his forces pass by him, from a vantage point not ten feet below mine!

I gasped.

His head turned slightly.

I backed away slowly, not daring to breathe.

As if it happened in slow motion, my foot clicked against a bit of rubble.

It bounced once.

Twice.

I turned and ran, just as I heard a snort from behind me.

I re-entered the watchtower, pressing my back to the first wall I came to.

The sound of a great weight shifting and then of metal grating against stone rang in my ears.

He must've jumped up to my level.

I cursed under my breath as I planted one hand against the wall and begged the stone to envelop me... _conceal me._

Footsteps echoed in the entryway.

The stone began to come forward in tendrils, wrapping around my legs, my torso, my chest. It needed to move faster.

Bolg's footsteps fell closer and closer.

The stone wrapped around my neck and jaw.

I saw Bolg's brutish figure step into the hall, a blur in my peripheral vision.

He snorted. Scenting the air around him.

He turned to face me just as the stone tendrils closed about my head, leaving only a fischer through which I could see.

He turned towards me, stalking in my direction as he drew his rusted monster of a lance.

I dared not breath deeply, for as he neared me all I could see was the rotting flesh and the incisions of metal in his mangled torso. All I could smell was the decay of dead skin and the terror of a thousand innocent souls as they found themselves faced with death incarnate.

He prodded the stone above my left shoulder with the tip of his lance.

My mouth could only move in noiseless terror as one of his eyes became visible through the sliver of air in my hiding place.

The eye narrowed to a slit.

I was going to die.

"Kili!" came a muffled shout from somewhere in a lower passage.

Bolg grunted and lifted his head away from me before turning and taking a step beyond my hiding spot.

I exhaled in sheer relief.

 _I'm saved!_ I thought, just as Bolg pivoted and drove the blunt end of his lance smashing across the thin stone barrier shielding me from his sight.

It burst into a thousand shards.

Pain ripped through my body as I felt my skin pierced.

I could have sworn I heard him laugh as he turned and strode down the hallway, on the hunt for a female elf who called out at just the wrong time.

I held on only long enough to command what was left of my stone barrier to release me before I began to fall and lost all consciousness.

* * *

Tauriel caught sight of Kili as soon as she and Legolas had reached Ravenhill. Now, she fought her way through the ruins, calling his name every so often in the hope that he would answer.

Her blade dispatched another opponent, operating almost of its own accord. For Tauriel's mind was not fixed upon her movements. It was somewhere else in those ruins, with Kili, who had managed to stay alive this long.

If they could survive this, keep fighting, the storm would eventually pass. They might yet survive the day.

"Kili!" Tauriel shouted again.

The reply echoed through the ruins. "Tauriel!"

"Kili?" she called once more, focusing her sense of hearing on his location.

The attack came too quickly for Tauriel to process.

Before she could so much as raise her blade, she was sent flying backwards across the landing.

She recognized the attacker and through a disoriented haze, she managed to get to her feet.

She palmed her knives quick as lightning.

And then he was upon her. She maneuvered and thrust at him as best she could, but rarely had she met an enemy as skilled.

She fought for every inch, and in a desperate attempt, she managed to draw blood from his arm.

The small victory gained her no momentum.

Next thing she knew, Bolg's calloused fist was around her throat.

Tauriel tried to gasp, to cry out, to do anything but was unsuccessful.

The orc raised her above his head.

She tried to gulp and managed only a moan as she felt each muscle and tendon in her neck attempt and fail to constrict.

She would not fall prey to this foul creature!

Tauriel kicked out, pushing against the orc's massive thigh.

He let her go and she took a wild swing at him, attempting to catch him off his guard.

She was unlucky.

Bolg caught her arm and twisted hard, sending an explosion of pain up her right side.

Another second and Tauriel was airborne.

Once more and a jarring sensation rocked her very core as she collided with the far wall of the landing and collapsed to the ground.

She could feel the blood running down her temple.

She tried to cling to the sensation of cool snow against her fingertips as Bolg drew his terrible lance.

This was it. The end.

She had nowhere left to run.

Her mind and body were bashed, broken, and utterly spent.

She watched, helpless, from the ground as Bolg's hulking figure began to draw closer to her.

Tauriel hoped the orc would end it quickly.

A vengeful roar and the outline of a person descending through the fog were the only warnings of Kili's arrival that Tauriel received.

She was prepared for the end, and yet, there he was, landing on Bolg's back, his dwarven broadsword blocking Bolg's horrid lance from descending anywhere near her bruised and battered body.

Tauriel raised her head from the ground as the full implication of the situation hit her.

Kili was still healing.

She, an elf with hundreds of years of training had been bested by this orc.

Kili

She pushed herself up onto an elbow as she watched Bolg and Kili wrestle for the upper hand.

She begged Eru to aid Kili as Bolg flipped him over his head and threw him onto the steps.

Kili didn't lose a second.

He was back on his feet and jumping through the air to take another swing.

The next few moments would echo through Tauriel's head for years to come.

She would remember how Kili's final shot at Bolg had ricocheted away.

She would remember the blow to Kili's face that sent him reeling backward.

She could never quite forget the burst of energy that sprung from unbridled terror. The burst of energy that spurred her to her feet and had her bounding onto Bolg's back.

She grappled with the lance that the orc had raised over his head to strike Kili.

Bolg brushed her off as if she were no more than an annoyance.

She rolled once, twice, coming to land mere inches away from the cliff's edge.

But in that moment, Tauriel didn't care how near the perilous drop she was.

Because that was the moment that Bolg lifted his lance and plunged it into Kili's chest.

Tauriel might have screamed.

She couldn't recall.

Her body seemed to go numb and became a foreign thing to her. A far away shell that she was only vaguely aware of.

There was no amount of Athalas that could cure this.

There was no desperate prayer that could save him now.

And as that light inside him flickered, he met her eyes.

He was trying to say something...trying to shake his head...to tell her to run.

But she didn't listen.

Because his eyes were still that warm brown that had twinkled for her on the Feast of Starlight, and they now glistened with tears.

It wasn't until then that Tauriel realized that he didn't want the hero's death he'd whispered about in the dungeons of the woodland realm.

He was frightened. Regretful, maybe.

But he wasn't ready to leave this world.

And Tauriel didn't see it until he gasped one final time and let his eyes fall shut.

She cried out for him, a wretched sound that ripped the heart right from her chest.

Bolg threw Kili's body to the ground, one more victim to him, nothing more.

Somehow, that filled Tauriel with enough rage to get her back on her feet, tears streaming down her face.

Bolg had advanced far enough to raise his lance for his second kill when Tauriel took her chance.

She lunged forward, grabbing Bolg about the neck.

He attempted to push her off the cliff, but she held firm, using the momentum of his push to swing herself in a circle around him.

The second her boot hit solid rock once more, she pushed off.

As she and Azog careened over the edge and fell into open space, the only thought in her mind was that he'd died for _her._

And she hadn't been able to stop it.

* * *

I surfaced slowly, recalling pieces of memory and pulling weakly at the strings of my thoughts until they returned to me.

The first clear idea that came to me was that something had gone very wrong.

My entire right side throbbed in pain.

With each shift I attempted, a stabbing sensation jolted through my hip, side, thigh, or right arm. Through the nearly unbearable pain, I wondered how many pieces of stone had been driven into me when Bolg smashed my stone shield.

I had just enough willpower to remember that I could heal them.

I moved my thumb along a crack in the ground and began to pull energy from the stone. I wasn't skilled enough to remove the shards myself, and the thought of trying to do it then made me want to vomit.

So I turned my thoughts towards conservation of blood.

As I closed each wound, I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming out.

It burned.

And stung.

And I could feel each shard that remained embedded deep beneath my skin.

It took that sharp ache to remind me just why I felt so wrong.

Kili.

I was too late.

Now, the pain of the shards of stone sealed into my flesh was eclipsed by an emptiness so terrible I could not see past it.

And then the roaring in my ears came, loud and strong.

 _He was your brother!_

 _Your kin!_

 _The beloved sibling of your own husband!_

 _Your friend!_

 _And you were too late to save him._

I was too late. I was too late. I was too late. I...I couldn't process the words even after repeating them over and over and over again to myself.

An eerie silence hung over Ravenhill.

It was broken only by my tortured sobs, both from the physical pain and the disbelief that Kili

was

Gone.

I was drained.

My energy had faded.

I was certain that my grasp on reality was slipping.

Maybe that's why I staggered to my feet, a task only punctuated by a sharp cry of pain as I lifted myself from the ground.

* * *

He was right there.

So close and yet so so far away.

Unreachable.

As Tauriel bent over Kili, looking into his face, she was so sure that he would open his eyes or laugh or say something.

Kili looked...at peace.

He could have been sleeping. Almost.

But that crimson-stained cavity in his chainmail told the full story of the brave prince's brutal departure from this world, and all Tauriel could do was look at his face.

And as she did so, she thought back on the short days she had known him.

It was so odd, that in her hundreds of years walking the forests of the world and gazing into the beauty of the skies, she had not met anyone quite like him before.

Kili had been short-lived, and yet he hadn't let a second of the years he had go to waste. He had been kind and perceptive and brave and…

"After so short an acquaintance?" Legolas asked from behind her, where he stood at a respectful distance.

Tauriel's eyes fell shut, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Tell me, Legolas," she breathed, "of just one other who could look past feuds and rivalries and see only the person before their eyes. Tell me of another who would seek to understand what is beyond their own experience...who would offer their life for the good in this world even if it was nearly spent."

The tears were flowing freely now, and Tauriel was near screaming as she tried to express in words that Kili had seen her hopes and dreams and flaws and he had wanted her to be happy. Just as she wanted him to be happy. Just as she saw all that he was and all that he could become.

All that would now never come to pass.

An emptiness that had once been filled with light and warmth gaped in her consciousness.

He battle instincts feebly kicked, telling her that she was in shock. But she ignored them.

"I can think of only one person alive who fulfills those words," said Legolas, his voice strained.

"Can you?" Tauriel asked, eyes never leaving Kili's pallid face.

"Yes," Legolas said, coming around from behind her and dropping to one knee on Kili's other side.

"And," he continued, his voice lowering, "and maybe _you_ were not always the only one of that nature."

Tauriel looked up to meet his eyes.

He was talking about her.

And, _not always the only one,_ he was talking about Kili!

Legolas raised his fingers to his temple and then extended them towards Kili's body.

An elven sign of farewell...and of respect.

With that, the prince turned and left.

* * *

Tauriel was still trying to reconcile the memories of laughing, kind, understanding Kili with the unmoving face before her.

A beast with Bolg's foul scent and the teeth of a warg had crept into her heart and began to constrict and rip and shred.

And she did nothing to stop it.

A young dark-haired dwarrow, who looked more like an elf than Kili and Aria combined, had stumbled upon Tauriel and had said something about the Durin clan and something more about burying their royalty in an honorable fashion. His name, he hadn't said, but he'd asked if she'd seen a maiden with golden hair and a warriors countenance.

She had given a shake of her head.

He had departed.

They were going to dress his body in dwarven finery, which he had cared little about, and they would lock him in a tomb away from the light.

Tauriel knew that those were the traditions of his people and she knew that he no longer needed the light, but rational thoughts did little to stem the crushing defeat she felt as she thought of the prince's body trapped in stone...never to see the starlight again.

And that ache, that pain in her gut utterly unconnected to her injuries, twisted. She wished it gone.

She was utterly crippled, vulnerable as she had only been on that day in the woods, hundreds of years ago, when her parents had been taken away from her; killed by bloodthirsty orcs.

She wished she had been taken with them.

It was then that she heard the footsteps.

"They want to bury him," she said, recognizing Thranduil's measured gait.

"Yes," the King replied, his tone solemn.

"If this is love, I do not want it. Take it from me, please," she pleaded, her voice breaking as she turned her tearstained face up towards the King.

"Why does it hurt so much?" she asked, a sob rocking her battered body.

In a tone more gentle than she had ever heard him utter, the King gave a simple answer.

"Because it was real."

And Tauriel frowned, for she had never thought to hear such words from a King who had dismissed her so condescending earlier that day.

Somehow, what Thranduil saw had changed his mind.

It emboldened Tauriel.

She raised her thoughts from the place of despair to which they had descended, and she thought of what Kili had been to her. What had been growing between them, for however short a time, had been a thing to celebrate.

Not a thing to forget.

Not a thing to drown in.

Tauriel looked down at Kili, thinking of his smile, lowered her own lips to his and she kissed him.

Tenderly, fondly, as if he were sleeping.

As if the warmth in his lips was not a shadow of the life that had been there, but the presence of life itself.

And though she knew he was dead, Tauriel found a small seed of contentment.

* * *

"Aria? Is that you?" I heard a voice call me.

Hardly a moment later, Tauriel was in the passage before me.

"Bolg," was all I said, and I could tell by the darkening of her already solemn face that she wanted no further explanation.

"I am going down to the valley. There are medical tents springing up and I dare say they'll need help. You're wounded. You should come," Tauriel said.

I examined her carefully.

She was bruised, and in the tightness of her jaw and the detached tone of her voice lay the mask of someone trying desperately to hold themselves steady.

I nodded dumbly, but when Tauriel stepped forward to assist me, I refused her.

"Where is Kili?" I asked.

Her eyes changed. She looked...helpless.

"He fell," she said, "his sister and two young dwarrows came to bear his body down to the valley. They are not one minute behind me."

The words had only just left her when I heard the sound of many footsteps in the hall.

Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, and Bofur made their way around the nearest bend and into our corridor.

They paused for a moment and their figures seemed to waver before me.

I sagged against the wall and bit the inside of my lip to keep from crying out at the stabs of agony that shuddered through me as the shards of stone jarred inside me.

I knew what was happening.

In closing the wounds around the stone I had stopped myself from bleeding out, but the shards continued to break me apart from the inside and I wasn't sure if I had the strength to heal them on my own.

And in that moment, as the dwarves approached me, I had a dangerous idea.

" _No," said a voice._

 _It was outside of me, in the air around me, and yet I knew that no one else could hear it._

 _My grandmother._

" _But you sent me here to ensure that they didn't die," I thought._

" _You have already done so. The life of the direct line of Durin lives on in Fili," said another voice, my grandfather's._

" _But I can't live with this death," I said, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life knowing that I could have tried...that I didn't do everything in my power."_

" _You are weak," said my grandmother's voice, "you are bleeding internally. Even if you are successful, your own survival is nowhere near guaranteed."_

I listened and nodded.

I was unafraid.

"Dwalin," I said as Oin knelt beside me to look at my wounds.

"Yes," Dwalin said, his tone as empty as Tauriel's. As drained by death as Tauriel's.

"Kili...didn't make it," I said.

"Where did he fall?" asked Dwalin, his eyes shutting very slowly.

Tauriel told him where, and he, Gloin, and Bofur left to aid Freya and the two dwarrows assisting in the carrying of her brother.

I remained where I was, pressing my hands into the floor, pulling as much energy into my body as I could.

The fog over my vision slowly cleared.

The pain dulled to an ache.

I was vaguely aware that I was pulling too greedily at the lifeforce of the rock, but I ignored the warnings. My body was wrecked anyway. I didn't care about the consequences this might have.

I heard footsteps once more and looked up to see the dwarves returning. Four of them bore Kili on their shoulders while Freya and dark-haired Daeron walking behind them.

As they marched down the hall towards me, I recalled my argument with Dwalin that morning.

I remembered the gash on his hand and how I'd been able to transfer my own energy into healing that injury.

Healing something more serious...an injury that had already taken the life of its victim?

Was it even possible?

I didn't care.

While on the first leg of our journey, Fili told me that the spirit of a dwarf did not depart his or her body until it was buried honorably. This most commonly happened when the dwarf was entombed in stone.

So...maybe.

I didn't think.

"Halt!" I ordered the dwarves as they passed.

They obeyed, although bemused expressions crossed their faces.

"What is it?" asked Freya, who walked at the rear of the pitiful procession.

"Lay him down," I said, ignoring her. I couldn't stop to explain. Of course, she deserved to know, but if I stopped then I feared I might lose my nerve.

Once again, the dwarves obeyed.

It was as if they were too grief-stricken to object.

I practically crawled the pace between his body and me.

I didn't dare look at his pale face, his blue-tinged lips, or the wound that I knew gaped across his chest.

Instead, I focused on his right glove, which only partially concealed the runestone that Tauriel had returned to him.

When I reached him, I took the stone into my own palm with shaking fingers.

I had been prepared to give everything for these dwarves, so why was I shaking so fearfully?

I knew somewhere deep inside my mind that what I was about to do would kill me.

I said the words in my head. Repeated them.

And the shaking stopped.

By the time I had pulled the glove off of his hand, the dwarves had stopped moving, their attention now completely upon me.

A deep breath in.

A resolve that had always been there hardened in me.

I placed the stone in Kili's bare palm and pressed my hand against its other side. The object was cool to touch, almost as cold as Kili's limp hand, but the spirit within it crackled.

But it was not that energy that I wanted to tap. No, the runestone was little more than a means of connecting me to my brother.

A way to push the energy sustaining my own heart into the wound that had stopped him.

To heal. To mend. To save.

If his spirit had already journeyed to my grandfather's halls, a mended body would do no good...but if the stories were true...if Kili's spirit had not yet left the field of battle...it would be more than worth everything I had to give.

I took a deep breath and reached out for that bridge between our palms.

"What're you doing?" asked Freya, coming to crouch beside me.

"Remember what I told you earlier?" I breathed.

"About if you were-"

"Yes," I cut her off.

Her eyes widened and then she gave a quick nod.

She wouldn't try to stop me. I saw it in her eyes. The short time I'd known her had been enough time to see that she was determined to be the ruler of her own fate...and she would allow me that same freedom.

With that single word, I shut the world out, honing all of my consciousness into a point focussed right behind the runestone.

I pulled at the strength and life force within my body, pushing them through the runestone and into that wound that tore across Kili's chest.

The wound began to heal from the inside.

I felt the lifeforce drain from me in waves as muscle and sinew knitted back together, and the muttering voices of the dwarves around me became harder and harder to hear.

All I could focus on was Kili's wound. The wound that was becoming shallower and shallower by the second.

That awareness too began to grow hazy.

I felt like I was floating in some sort of in-between place, not inside my body but still vaguely aware of the energy flowing out of it.

Still vaguely aware that I was becoming dangerously weak.

And then the tether grew taught.

The body that was still giving became distant.

Kili's wound was healing. I was so close.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. It was more a memory than a reality.

The tether wavered.

 _Hold on._

That was my grandfather's voice.

The tether strengthened. I became more aware of the body I had begun to leave.

" _You don't have to go any further."_

That was my grandmother.

" _You've done enough."_

They whispered.

" _I've done enough?"_

I asked.

" _You've done enough."_

The Vala echoed.

I began to relax.

Then the tether snapped.


	48. Sorrow and joy

**Okay, I've tortured you all long enough!**

 **Chapter 48**

Freya kicked an orc helmet.

Once.

Twice.

Three times, each increasing in ferocity.

When the helmet finally dislodged itself from the mud with a great squelch, Freya just turned away and left it as it was.

The events of that day were on an endless loop in her head. She had defended her homeland at a great price, for the muddy ground was made so by the blood of enemy and friend alike.

"Daeron, I found another one," she said, bending down to shove the corpse of an orc off of an elf who's last act in life had been to spear his killer through the chest.

Daeron picked his way through the bodies to find her.

When she returned from Ravenhill, she'd discovered the facts of the battle. First, the coalition of dwarves, men, and elves had won at a great cost. Their dead were nowhere near as numerous as Azog's, but the loss was nonetheless considerable. Second, Dain had sent word back to the Iron Hills as soon as the battle had ended and aid would soon be arriving. Third, Dain was to be King Under the Mountain.

Freya had volunteered to search the valley just to escape this last fact. This last inescapable reality.  
They had been in the valley for nearly two hours, recovering bodies of the dead and wounded from the field.

Freya spent the entirety of that time trying and failing to ignore the events of Ravenhill.

Climbing the cliffside with Daeron.

Meeting Aria.

Watching as Fili was cut down by Azog. Hoping that Aria knew what she was doing.

Helping Dwalin to fight off the orcs that were trying to bridge Ravenhill.

Seeing her uncle die.

Crying and falling to her knees because she couldn't have done anything to save him.

Finding Kili's body and hoping that the gaping wound in his chest was some kind of illusion.

Realizing it wasn't an illusion when she saw Aria propped up against the wall, injured terribly.

And watching the Heir of Stone's eyes go glassy, then dim, as she gave all she had to save Kili.

Watching her body slump to the corridor floor as the dwarves cried out.

Seeing her body fade into nothingness and hearing the gasps of the other dwarves.

Now, Freya worked. She carried the dead to the place where others were digging graves for each brave soul who had given their last for Erebor and for their people.

"You should rest," said Daeron, as the two of them returned from the graves to scour the valley once more.

"I can't. Rest means having to do more thinking than I already am," she replied. Her voice was hoarse.

"You're going to run yourself into the ground," Daeron continued.

"I said, I'm fine. Besides, you aren't taking a break," Freya shot back.

"I was running information up and down the mountainside for most of the battle. I didn't fight as long as you did. Freya, you look like you're about to collapse. Go to the mountain, find somewhere quiet, get at least a little rest."

Freya thought for a moment.

"I saw your parents setting up healing tents in the entry hall," Daeron said.

* * *

Hours passed.

The entry hall had indeed been littered with an array of tents by the time Freya reached it.

Her parents had been relieved to see her alive and well, and Freya had tried her best to mourn the loss of their family but had been unable to summon tears.

Although her father had said something about it having to do with the shock of her first battle, Freya didn't trust herself with the secret that she had been entrusted with.

She had been on edge, so she'd separated herself from Dis and Findrir as quickly as she could.

She busied her hands, rolling bandages, aiding the healers however she could, keeping her mind off of the time that was elapsing so slowly.

The time that still remained between her and the next sunrise.

When the time came for Fili, Kili, and Thorin's funeral, Freya had gone to stand as far away from her parents and anyone else she knew. She couldn't stand the guilt at thought of what she was concealing from a mother and father mourning the loss of two children.

Children who they'd never gotten a chance to bid farewell.

Freya found Daeron almost immediately and completely by accident.

He'd removed his armor and was sporting a splendid black eye and a gash up one forearm.

After one look in her direction, she saw his eyebrows furrow.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"How many of your relatives aren't actually dead?" Daeron asked cooly.

Freya clenched her mouth shut to keep it from dropping open like a goldfish's.

She marched the rest of the way to him, grabbed his uninjured forearm, and led him off into a small stone chamber that held old waxed candles and smelled of lamp oil.

"How in Mahal's name did you know?" she hissed, slamming the door behind her and spinning to face Daeron.

The insufferable know-it-all was leaning against a wall and looking as if he'd announced nothing more extraordinary than the weather.

"Easy, really. You marched across Middle Earth to be with your brothers. If they were dead, you'd be balling your eyes out," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't tell anyone. I will hunt you down and run you through if you breathe a word of this. Do you understand?" she asked.

Daeron nodded and walked past her and through the door, leaving her to wonder how someone she was just beginning to trust could revert back to an utter ass on such short notice.

With that, she left the candle room and joined the throng in the burial cavern.

Halfway through the funeral, she was fed up with trying to act as though her world was ending, so she snuck out the back and found a warm corner near the forges to curl up in.

Eventually, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Freya awoke with a jolt.

How long had she been out?

She got to her feet and sprinted back to the entry hall where she could see the faded stars strung out across a backdrop of a lightening sky.

She almost thought it a pity that the front gates of Erebor would need to be rebuilt.

But Freya could not linger with her thoughts of the future, for dawn would soon be upon the valley.

She had maybe twenty minutes before the sun pierced the sky of the valley, rising up from the mountains to greet the day.

Freya turned and left the entry hall to put the last step of her...well, Aria's plan into action.

She walked the same path she had trudged to the funeral the night before and turned over Aria's explanation of Yavanna's gift in her mind as she walked.

The leaves that Yavanna had given Aria were supposed to lull the taker into a deep and death-like sleep. If Aria's plan had been effective, her brothers would be emerging from that sleep any minute now.

Freya pushed any thought of the third grave from her mind. The third grave that would remain occupied.

Aria had warned her. The other female had teared up as she explained to Freya that, in order for the future wars of Middle Earth to end as they should, Thorin Oakenshield could not be King Under the Mountain.

Freya pushed her uncle to the back of her mind. She wanted to mourn him properly. She refused to mix sorrow and joy this morning. So as she walked, Freya remembered only her uncle's acts of bravery and heroism...the acts he should rightly be remembered for.

She did not mourn Fili and Kili.

Not yet.

Not while there was a chance that they were alive.

It was with that thundering hope that she reached the great cavern in which her relatives had been put to rest.

* * *

"Dis, I want to go see them," Findrir said into the darkness.

There was a long silence.

Dis turned towards Findrir's outline, barely visible in the darkened tent.

Dawn had not yet breached the mountain.

He was hunched over, defeated, brought low in a way Dis had never seen him.

"This isn't your fault," Dis said, standing up and moving quietly to him.

She sat on the cot, the tent's one furnishing and put her arms around his waist, and resting her head on his shoulder.

His answer was tortured.

"I let them go. I advised them to go."

"You did not end their lives," Dis said, trying to keep her voice steady.

She could cry no more. Now, she only felt a weight in her chest. An inescapable pain that she tried desperately to hide from her husband.

He was as crushed as she was, and she couldn't bring herself to share any more of her pain.

"I...I'm glad Freya was there. I am glad that she wasn't left to hear this news in the iron hills. She...she got to see them one last time," Findrir said.

"I only thank Mahal that she managed to survive," Dis said, shaking her head, "she was in shock, but I didn't see anything past bruising on her."

"She wasn't in any of the medical tents. I should look for her," said Findrir, straightening.

"No. I know where she went. She needs time," Dis said, folding her hand into Findrir's.

Neither of them spoke.

The words had all had an empty feeling to them.

The only thing they could do for each other was sit in silent companionship.

Eventually, dawn broke.

The sounds of the awakening medical camp filled their ears.

A sharp rap on the tent pole jolted them out of their reverie.

"Dain requires your presence. Now," said the intruder, a sleep-deprived iron hills foot soldier.

"Where is he?" Findrir asked.

"On his way to the royal manor. Do you know where it is?" the sentry asked.

"I remember," said Dis, and with that, the trio hastened from the tent.

As they hurried through the mountain Dis wondered what her cousin could need so early in the morning.

The last time she'd received an early summons from Dain, he summoned her to battle.

The last time she'd received an early summons from Dain, her sons and brother had been alive.

* * *

There they were.

Just across the dais were the brothers whose faces had been Freya's earliest memories.

They were still.

Frozen in time.

Unmoving.

And Freya could hardly bare to watch them.

A shaft of daylight illuminated the floor at the foot of Kili's tomb!

Then another at Fili's feet.

Dawn had broken over the mountains.

Her hurried steps echoed throughout the vast chamber, pounding along to the thunder of her heart.

She reached Fili's plinth first.

The scratches on his face and the armor he'd worn into that last battle had been cleaned. His hair had been brushed. His sword was placed over his chest.

Freya couldn't understand how anyone could think peaceful death mirrored sleep.

Sleep looked nothing like that.

Sleep was not pale and unmoving and stiff.

And as Freya thought these things and watched her brother with brows furrowed...she realized that Fili wasn't pale...or unmoving...or stiff.

As if by a miracle, his chest rose and fell!

And rose and fell again!

His pallid complexion began to gain color.

Not nearly enough, but there was color!

Freya gasped!

"You're breathing," she laughed to her sleeping brother, a tear of joy rolling down her cheek.

She reached for Fili's sword took it from his hands.

Recovering warriors did not need weapons.

Freya nodded.

"I'll be right back," she said, leaving Fili's plinth. She didn't care that he couldn't hear her, she only cared that he was there. Alive.

Her mind turned towards her second brother.

Kili had died.

He had been stabbed through the heart with the wicked lance of an orc. Aria had died trying to undo that wound. The dark-haired valarindi's body had simply _disappeared,_ her very existence exhausted by the effort it took her to heal Kili.

And the worst part was that Freya didn't even know if Aria's sacrifice had been worth it. She didn't even know if Kili was still alive.

And yet, when Freya approached Kili's plinth, he was blinking up at the ceiling.

"Kili?" she whispered, not even bothering to restrain her grin of relief and joy.

"I think so," he croaked.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Confused. Where am I, why am I not dead, and how in Mahal's name are you here?" he asked.

So Freya explained that Kili had, in fact, slept through his own funeral. She explained her own journey, and lastly, she told him that Fili had survived too.

"Fili's alive?" Kili asked, propping himself up on his elbows. He winced and collapsed. His wound, apparently, was not completely healed.

"Yes, but I don't think he's awake yet," Freya said.

"But he fell. Even those leaves couldn't heal him after that fall," Kili protested.

"Aria did something to the stone beneath him. He didn't feel the impact," she said, raising her voice to a conversational tone.

"But when I was fighting Bolg," Kili said, pausing to think and then cracking a grin, "well, I very distinctly remember feeling quiet stabbed. How am _I_ still alive?" he asked.

Freya shook her head and sighed. "You weren't. We found your body after the battle. Aria was convinced that she could do something to save you and so...she did," Freya said.

Kili didn't seem to notice the regret in her voice because he asked "and where is she now? Sleeping in, or off doing something completely foolish?"

"Kili...she died," Freya said slowly.

* * *

He'd heard Freya's voice.

It had woken him up.

And then Kili's voice. His brother was alive.

He'd opened his eyes, assessed his surroundings, determined that he wasn't badly injured, and sat up.

That was all before he heard those words.

 _She died._

He repeated them to himself, once, twice, three times.

Because he didn't want to believe it.

He didn't want to even consider that Aria, who was bright and curious and sarcastic and beautiful and an idiot and his best friend and his wife...was dead.

Fili needed to talk to her. He needed to reason with her. Somehow, if he could just talk to her, go back in time and beg her to stay in the mountain and leave his life in his own hands and stay safe.

He was her husband. He was supposed to protect her. He had _promised_ to protect her and he had failed in that promise.

Aria was dead.

She was dead.

Dead.

He wanted to scream or explode or die just to be with her again. But he remembered Kili and Freya, the siblings who would always remember that their brother had lost his mind and his temper when confronted with death.

Thorin wouldn't want him to lose himself in his pain.

But Fili was already lost.

Now all Fili could do was hide the brokenness.

He was the oldest and would likely take up a position of leadership after all of this so he had to remain strong.

He had to remember her as a hero who had died honorably.

Brave. Strong. Hero.

Because if he started to think about her voice, her singing, the feel and shine of her hair, the way she'd always tucked it behind one ear when she was nervous, the questions she had about everything under the sun, if he started to think about those things... he would be as undone in appearance as he was in his own mind.

Fili swung his legs over the side of the plinth and stood.

He didn't notice the dizziness that unsteadied his feet.

He didn't notice the stiffness that slowed his movements.

It didn't matter anyway.

None of it did.

But his sister, who had traveled so far, deserved more than the brokenness that was all he had left to offer.

He made for Kili's plinth and upon reaching it he intended to ask Freya if she was alright.

His tongue betrayed him.

"How did it happen?" he asked flatly.

Kili, whose eyes shone with unshed tears, nodded.

"She… she was badly injured already when she found out what happened to you," Freya said, addressing Kili.

Turning back to Fili, she continued. "She slowly lost consciousness as she healed Kili, so she didn't die painfully."

Fili nodded.

That was good.

But who had injured her?

He wanted to kill them. Whoever they were, he wanted to kill them. Slowly.

But Kili didn't need to hear that. Neither did Freya. Revenge was not something he needed to teach them.

He and his siblings stood there in quiet companionship, all with the understanding that the world would never be the same.

Only two of them wished to explore that new world.

"I think Dain should know that we have not gone to Mahal's forges," Fili said, turning to his sister.

Freya nodded.

"Do you two want to pay your respects?" she asked.

It was Kili's turn to nod.

So Freya gave each of them a rib-crushing hug and a peck on the cheek before running across the dais and out of the expansive burial chamber.

Fili had heard Freya telling Kili that Aria's body had disappeared.

But she was not the only fallen warrior of the Battle of Five Armies.

The elder Durin prince offered his shoulder to his brother and together they made their way to the center of the dais, to say goodbye to the uncle who had taught, loved, and inspired them from their earliest days.

* * *

"Freya, what is it this time?" Dis asked, closing the manor door behind her.

She was tired, emotionally spent, but was determined to present herself in a manner that resembled the strength and tact that seemed to have deserted her.

Secretly, Dis had thanked the Valar for Freya's life every time she'd seen her daughter's face after the battle.

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you that," said Freya, fidgeting with a small stone carving on a table in the entryway of the hidden manor...Dis's childhood home.

"And when will Dain be here?" Findrir asked.

"Any minute. Please, Adda, have some patience," Freya said, tapping the little statue against the table.

Findrir nodded.

"Wait here, both of you," Dis mumbled.

She walked to the staircase and felt the once familiar smoothness of the handrail against her palm as she walked up the staircase to the second landing.

The library was up here.

She'd fallen from the spiral steps in that library when she was eight.

Thorin, overprotective older brother that he was, hadn't allowed her back in that room by herself for nearly six months.

Fili and Kili would have loved that room...Kili especially.

Through the door directly across the landing was the bedroom her parents once shared. It was not the largest in the house, but the ceiling was onyx encrusted with diamonds. Dis remembered watching the candlelight flicker in that room, turning the ceiling to an explosion of glistening starlight.

She walked across the landing and pushed the doors open.

Behind her, she heard two sets of feet on the stairs.

"Dain said something about a library?" Freya asked.

"It's just to the left. I'll be along in a minute," Dis said and spared her husband and daughter a single glance before stepping through the doors into the old bedroom.

That ceiling was unchanged.

Beautiful.

Dis turned her gaze to the master bed and frowned.

"That's odd," she whispered.

The bed was made and freshly made at that. A beautiful white dress was hung over a chair off to the left of the bed.

Upon closer inspection, Dis saw that the textures of the fabric and the gems stitched into the dress were dwarven.

But, the dress smelled of lavender, not of dust.

How could it? When there had been no females traveling with the company.

Dis didn't have to search long for another clue.

On the bedside table, a letter addressed in a feminine script lay sealed and unread.

Dis picked it up and stared at the name upon it in confusion.

It was addressed to Fili.

"He's never going to read it," she whispered in an attempt to step away from the guilt that crept up inside her at the thought of reading another person's mail.

She opened the letter and read its contents.

 _Dearest Fili_ ,

 _If you are reading this and I'm still alive, come find me and we can laugh about how melodramatic it is. If I'm dead and you are too then I suppose you'll never read this and we're probably somewhere berating each other over our stupidity or congratulating each other on our bravery. In the unlikely event that I'm dead and you're still alive, I probably didn't get the chance to say goodbye properly._

 _That being said, I have one matter of business to take care of. You cannot be King Under the Mountain. I was sent to Middle Earth to ensure that the principle line of Durin survived. But it is only in these last few days that I have realized why you had to live. The dwarves are becoming more and more entrenched in their ways. They separate themselves off and dig their way away from all civilization. The current principle line of Durin seems to be different. You're wilder. You were raised and hardened away from the old halls of your fathers. Now, you return to them with no fear to step back out into the light._

 _It is up to you and Kili to keep the doors to Erebor open to the race of men and in time maybe even to elves. You're not afraid of foreigners. If you need to be convinced of that fact, look no further than the signature at the bottom of this page or the ring on your finger._

 _Your place is not on the throne, a chair which would hold you to this mountain for the rest of your life, but close to the world you taught me so much about._

 _Now that that's cleared up, there are a few quick things I want you to know. Firstly, wherever I am as you read this, I wish it was with you. Secondly, I love you more than I can express. I'm not being melodramatic when I say that you changed my life for the better. You were the first and best real friend I ever had and I cannot thank you enough for it. Thirdly, if I really am dead, you're probably blaming yourself. Trust me when I say that whatever I did to get myself into this position, I did without your knowing._

 _Please give my love and goodbye to our companions. Also, tell Kili that next time he wants to declare his love, he should do it in a language that the maiden can understand._

 _All my love,_

 _Aria_

 _P.S. In case you're wondering when I wrote this, it's the night before the battle...or maybe very early that morning. You fell asleep around twenty minutes ago and thank Durin you don't snore as badly as some of your relatives._

Dis' eyes widened in shock with every line. At the phrase "look to the ring on your finger," her hand flew to her mouth.

He'd been married.

Fili, her darling child, her eldest prince had been married. Dis reread the letter twice, looking for clues about the girl.

She was witty enough, Dis supposed. She also seemed well written and independent. And she had been part of the company and on some sort of mission that seemed to have little to do with Erebor itself.

Aria.

Her son's wife.

"Amma," said an amused voice behind her, "if I could count the number of times you've told me not to go through other people's mail, I'd be rich enough to buy Laketown."

Dis whirled around, the letter fallen forgotten from her hand.

There in the doorway, a tired smile on his face, and very very much alive was Fili.

She rushed to him. She needed to know if he was real, needed to touch him, needed to hear his voice again.

Within seconds, the child she had carried and taught and loved and buried had taken her into his arms and was hugging her tight.

"I missed you so much," he said, and it was Dis' undoing.

The tears that she had held in for hours, the wall of impenetrable strength, crumbled. Tears streamed down her face unbound and all she could do was look at him and hold him and ask him if he was alright over and over again.

"Oh, no. Fili, you've been here for five minutes and you're already making Amma cry," scolded another voice from the doorway.

Dis knew that voice as well as she knew her own.

"Kili?" she asked, turning her head towards the door.

Before she could step towards him, he hugged her from behind.

"I can't believe your both here. Your hearts...your hearts stopped beating," Dis gasped, trying her best to hug both her boys at once.

"What's all the noise about?" asked Findrir from the hall.

Dis heard footsteps.

"Oh, adda, you might die," Freya exclaimed from the doorway.

Dis laughed. That was her daughter, through and through.

"What? What is it Freya? Dis, love? What's going-Oh mahal," Findrir gasped.

"ad," Fili said, breaking away from Dis to reunite with his father.

When she and Kili were alone, her younger son pulled a small object from his trouser pocket.

"I promised you I would return," he said, showing her the runestone in his open palm.

"Keep it. You think I crafted that? Your grandmother made that for me before I went off to my first battle. Pass it on like she did for me," Dis said, folding Kili's fingers over the stone.

"Why didn't you give this to Freya or Fili?" Kili asked.

"Because I was much more worried about you than I was about your brother. He's sensible. As for Freya, she left without my permission," said Dis.

Dis didn't know how much time passed before Dain arrived at the manor and ushered them into the library.

The King had brought two guards and a young adviser with the face of an elf and the eyes of a hawk, who Freya glared at every so often.

Freya, who was holding a whispered conversation with Fili didn't acknowledge the advisor in any way beyond those glances.

Dis didn't inquire into that manner, for there were topics of far more importance to be discussed that day.

Dain opened the meeting by offering to step down for Fili.

Fili declined after exchanging a meaningful glance passed between him and Freya.

Dis changed her mind. The letter had explained just why Fili should abdicate, but Dis wanted to know more.

She also wanted to meet Aria.

In the shock of the reunion, Dis had forgotten to ask her eldest child about that particular development.

After Dain bowed gratefully and excepted Fili's blessing, he turned the discussion to the rebuilding of the mountain.

Kili, Dain, and Findrir started outlining their various plans for the division of labor and architectural reconstruction.

"Dis, anything to add?" Dain asked.

"No, I'll draw up a temporary defense plan, if I may," she said.

"By all means," said Dain, gesturing towards a large table strewn with writing supplies, "our safety is in your capable hands."

Dis crossed to the table and found a quill and a blank sheet of parchment upon which she began to sketch the front of the mountain.

"Fili, some aid if you please," she said, dipping the quill in an open inkpot.

"Yes?" Fili asked crossing to the table.

Dis turned to find the rest of the attendees absorbed in conversation before focusing on Fili.

"Architecture has never been my area of expertise. As for you, I should have expected you to be running the reconstruction of this mountain, not starting at the floor. What is it?" she asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, ammad, I assure you," he said, offering Dis a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Dis frowned as Fili reached for a couple of glass paperweights.

"You know, you've frowned in that same way since before you could walk. I can tell when you are unhappy or troubled," she prodded, laying a hand over his.

Fili looked up at her and she swore she could see despair somewhere in his eyes.

"I am troubled. But after all you've gone through in these past months, amma, this is not your pain to bear," he said quietly.

Dis recognized the same shield of calm in his face that had been over her own every moment since she first heard the news that no mother should ever have to hear. Fili wore the mask of someone trying to hide their pain from those they held most dear.

"Come with me," Dis said, dunking her quill in the ink pot and crossing the room.

"Dis?" Findrir asked.

"We'll be back," she replied.

Fili opened the door for her and the two left the meeting.

Something was incredibly wrong.

And Dis thought she knew why.

Once Dis had ushered her son back into the master bedroom, she retrieved the letter she'd dropped in her excitement and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I would never have read this if I'd had even the slightest reason to believe you were...still here," she said, catching her voice as it nearly cracked with emotion.

Fili joined her on the bed and asked "may I read it?"

Dis handed him the letter wordlessly and watched him unfold the parchment.

The smile that spread across his face was different.

Regretful, but happy. Something at the beginning of that letter had touched his eyes.

By the time he finished the letter, Fili's smile had faded completely.

"Did you read the entire thing?" Fili asked.

"I did," Dis said.

"And?" Fili asked, his voice echoing pain and defeat.

"And I wish I could have known her," said Dis.

"I...I wish that too. I wish that she was in my position. She saved us. Kili and I would be lying stiff on those plinths if she hadn't acted...and she didn't deserve the fate she got. Freya...Freya said she wasn't in any pain but-" and here he stopped, for he could go no further.

So Dis put her arms around her son and was silent. She wished to be nothing more than a quiet comfort.

But she was deeply troubled, for Fili had always been strong and steady, even as a young child.

She'd hardly ever seen him weep.

Never like this.

 **See you all again next chapter!**


	49. A light from the ruins

Chapter 49

Half an hour or so into Dain's meeting, Kili found himself bored to tears. He cared about the mountain and its people, but he didn't need to be part of a squabble about whether or not they should make the elven healers move their tents outside the mountain.

It was a conversation of ridiculous length and Kili found himself wishing, not for the first time during the meeting, that his uncle was still there.

Thorin had been much less likely to delegate power unnecessarily, and therefore, less likely to get into pointless arguments such as the one Dain was now engaged in.

As to the topic of the conversation, Kili had made his argument in favor of the elves remaining inside the mountain quite clear. Once he had done this, Kili only half paid attention.

"You might as well just ask the elves for their opinion on the matter," Kili huffed when he could take the quarreling no more.

"And why might I do that?" Dain asked, calming as he looked to Kili.

"Because you'd get a straightforward answer," said Kili.

The younger Durin prince wondered just how long the preferential treatment would last for him and Fili.

"If you want to trade niceties with the woodland sprites, go and get on with it, but a decision must be made here," Dain said.

Kili decided that he would and took his leave of the library and everyone in it.

He passed his mother as she emerged from Fili's room...alone.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a hushed voice.

"To the healer's tents. I'm going to get something to dull the ache in my ribs," he replied.

"That's quite a long way from here," Dis said.

"I know. I'd like to see one of the healers in particular," Kili said.

"Ah, I forgot that Oin doesn't know you're still with us," Dis said knowingly.

"Uh, yes. Neither does anyone else," Kili said, gulping.

"Give my regards to all of them," Dis said, not seeming to notice the slight waver in Kili's confidence.

He berated himself for his dishonesty as he made his way downstairs. He should have told her who he was really going to see.

It certainly wasn't old Oin, though Kili did make a mental note to find and visit each member of his company to deliver the good news.

* * *

Though Kili traveled at a slower pace than he would've liked, he made good time in getting to the healing tents just inside the entry hall.

The tents were a sight to behold. There seemed to Kili to be a small army of them, all in varying sizes, colors, and states of repair.

It could take him quite a while to find her.

He'd asked Freya if she knew of Tauriel not long after he'd awoken and his sister's eyes had widened.

He'd seen the recognition of Tauriel's description in his sister's eyes, and his own spirits had risen when Freya had told him that the elleth was alive.

Now he had to find her.

There were things that he needed to tell her, whether she returned his affections or not. For if she did not, then she could go her own way, stay his friend, even.

But if she did.

He had to know.

Kili's sharp eyes located the healer's supply tent after only a short while and he wove his way through through the tents to get there.

If he would find her anywhere, it would be in this tent.

And yet, when he saw a glimpse of auburn hair through the front flap of the tent, he paused.

The discouraging thoughts began to pour into his head. She wouldn't want to live underground, she wanted somebody taller, she had spoken to him that night only for something to do and had healed him in Laketown only out of basic decency...not because she had so unexpectedly fallen in love with him.

But Kili had always been one to throw both cation and his own fears to the winds, so he pulled the flap aside and marched right into the tent.

Tauriel was the only one inside.

She moved about the room with that easy grace of hers, collecting supplies from the baskets that had been delivered from the woodland realm sometime that morning.

She didn't seem to notice Kili standing just inside the tent and he was tempted to stand there in silence just to watch her work. She seemed tired but determined to push through her condition...to keep working.

He reminded himself that her elven senses had probably already picked up the intrusion already.

Standing there for much longer would be senseless.

Tauriel paused, her back to Kili.

"If there is something you need, master dwarf, then tell me. Otherwise, I cannot be of any assistance," she said, while continuing to fill a small basket with bandages and wooden pots of what was probably a salve.

Kili opened his mouth to answer.

The last time he'd heard that voice, she'd been in so much pain. Pain at the sight of what was being done to him. Now, that voice was tired and empty. As if she'd traveled a long way only to find that her destination did not exist.

"Actually, I could use some help. I made someone a promise and I need help finding them," he said, mentally cursing himself for defaulting to un-princely nonchalance.

Tauriel straightened.

"And just what sort of a promise did you make?" she asked, her tone alert.

"I promised that I would return to her," he said slowly.

Tauriel whirled to face him and stopped dead still when she realized just who had walked into her tent.

She took a staggering step backward, looking him up and down in disbelief.

"Kili? You-you're," she paused, eyes growing wide and glassy.

" _Impossible_ ," she breathed.

Kili offered her a wry grin.

"Not impossible. Just highly improbable. Our companion, Aria...well, her power went a lot farther than we imagined," Kili said.

She didn't say anything, but there was a war of disbelief and confusion and hope raging behind those lovely eyes.

"I, um, Tauriel...I'm sorry…" he trailed off. For the first time in many years, Kili was utterly lost for words.

He looked around the room, his eyes landing on a nearby cot. He crossed to it and pulled it forward, just to give his hands something to do.

"Would you like to sit down?" he asked, trying very hard not to seem put off by her reaction.

Tauriel nodded her head slowly, her mouth opening slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.

Kili took a seat beside her, willing himself to tell her what he had planned. To make his intentions towards her clear, even if she would reject him the moment he finished speaking.

Because in that last moment on Ravenhill, through the sound of his damaged heart counting down its final beats, his only regret that he left her unprotected...he had realized that he would never see the beauty and intelligence behind those eyes again. And something inside him had broken.

Now, sitting beside her, that part of him, not yet fully healed, ached.

A tear slipped down her cheek, mirroring the glass that shone unspilled in his own eyes.

Kili took a deep breath in preparation to tell her what was on his own mind but he didn't get the chance to say one word.

"I don't understand how you are here. Or why. You might be a figment of my imagination. I am sure I shall wake up and you will be buried. This will have been just a dream, " she said.

Kili vaguely remembered saying nearly the same thing while lying injured in Laketown. He remembered wishing desperately for it not to be true.

He saw that very wish mirrored in Tauriel's eyes. With just a touch of male satisfaction, Kili also noted that, while seated, he was ever so slightly taller than she was. The side of his mouth quirked upwards.

"This isn't a dream," he said.

She frowned as if she didn't quite believe him and a thought came to him. Maybe it made him just as reckless as everyone said he was, but Tauriel wasn't trying to push him away. And so, without a second thought, Kili leaned in and kissed her.

It was just a brush of his lips against hers, soft and warm. He pulled back just enough to get a good look at her face.

She was smiling, and it was only when she reached up to brush a tear from his face that Kili realized it had fallen.

"Please don't let me wake," Tauriel said, not entirely to him, and he laughed and brushed a lock of auburn hair from her face.

"You're not asleep. Only an elf would refuse to believe what was right in front of their nose," Kili teased.

"And it would be just like a dwarf to stubbornly insist on something that he knows cannot be true," Tauriel retorted, a humorous glint in her eye.

Kili kissed her again.

"You're wrong," he said, smiling.

"I wish," she answered.

"Tell me more about Mirkwood. The good parts. Not the dungeons," Kili asked.

"You're just attempting to distract me," Tauriel said, but when Kili only smiled and gave her another and considerably longer kiss, she obliged.

They fell into easy, unbroken conversation.

An hour's found them still seated upon the cot, Tauriel's head resting on Kili's shoulder, their conversation slow and quiet, lulled by the peace of companionship uninterrupted by guards or dragons or sickness.

"I'm glad," Tauriel murmured after a long pause, "so very glad that I got this chance to say goodbye."

Kili straightened. She was leaving?

"Where are you going?" he asked, trying very hard not to sound worried. She deserved to see the world. He would not guilt her into staying.

"I'm going to sleep," she answered, "and when I wake, I will keep the memory of this dream with me wherever I go."

Kili didn't try to tell her that it wasn't a dream. She wouldn't believe him anyway. He just nodded and stood as she laid her head down on the cot. He scanned the room for a blanket, finding a stack of them on a rug halfway across the tent. When he returned to cover her, Tauriel was already asleep.

He thought she must've worked all night to be that tired, but he was determined to be there when she awoke.

In the meantime, Kili assisted the healers in transporting supplies and cutting new bandages. It was during this chore that he had found Bofur, Nori, and Ori and had a very loud, very dwarf-like reunion with them. One of the healers had to come and hush them for their noisiness.

The healer, as it so happened, was Oin. Upon seeing Kili alive and looking like a punished child, the old dwarf had had to sit down on a stool and have a warm blanket wrapped about him to keep from fainting altogether.

Once Bofur had given the healer a drink from a flask that most certainly did not contain water, Oin had shaken Kili warmly by the hand before demanding to know just how in Durin's name Kili had survived.

When Dwalin came across the happy gathering, he'd clapped Kili across the back so hard that he'd coughed.

When Kili had told the dwarves that Aria had saved him, Dwalin just shook his head and said, "I had a feeling she would. That one was a puzzle and no mistake... but I just had a feeling she'd do something like that." Dwalin shook his head and sniffed loudly before asking Kili if he was hungry.

Kili said that, yes, he was in fact very hungry.

They'd nearly made it to the provisions and Oin was asking him if he had any remaining injuries, when Kili remembered that he'd forgotten one incredibly important detail in his story.

He laughed aloud at his own stupidity.

"Well, that answers your question," said Bofur "something's clearly gone wrong in his head."

"My head's perfectly fine, thank you," Kili said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Well, then explain the laugh," Ori teased.

Several more minutes of merrymaking ensued when Kili revealed that Fili was as alive and well as he was.

* * *

Tauriel awoke slowly, first registering the warm flickering light of a candle that brought light to her otherwise darkened tent, then the weight of the blanket over her. She shut her eyes, trying to remember every moment of that dream.

But, all too quickly, it was fading.

Tauriel laid there in the peaceful quiet of her own thoughts for what felt like ages until she heard a light rap on the tent pole and sat up.

"Yes?" she asked, reaching for a dagger at her belt.

"Can I come in?" asked a cheerful voice that was all too familiar.

Tauriel bolted upright, suddenly fully awake.

"Kili?" she asked, sheathing the dagger.

"Yes," he said slowly, entering the tent.

She just stared at him as he reached the cot, a steaming mug in his hand.

"Tea?" he asked, offering her the mug.

Tauriel nodded. It hadn't been a dream. It hadn't been a dream.

"I did tell you that you weren't asleep," he said, probably noticing the slightly perplexed look on her face.

"So our conversation…"

"Was real," Kili interjected.

"And you kissed me?" Tauriel asked, immediately wishing she could slap herself about the head for the ridiculousness of her own question.

"Did you mind it?" Kili asked, grinning.

Suddenly, Tauriel was reminded of the time he'd asked her whether she was going to search him.

"No…" Tauriel said, watching him as he sat down on the cot beside her.

"Tauriel, I wanted to talk to you about that," he said, the grin on his face replaced by a solemn expression.

"I know you want to see the world. And whatever is between you and I should not interfere with that dream. A dream you have put on hold for so many years," Kili said.

Tauriel had only to look into his eyes to know that he meant every word of it.

"Come with me," Tauriel said, surprising herself with the boldness of her request.

Kili's face fell.

"I have obligations here. My parents are counting on me to aid in the rebuilding of this place," he said.

"And afterward?" Tauriel asked.

Kili's eyes widened.

"You would stay here until then?" he asked.

Tauriel nodded.

"Then it would be my honor," Kili said, that roguish grin returning to his face.

* * *

In the months that followed, Tauriel learned more about dwarves than she thought was possible to learn. She spent much of her time in Dale with the men and elves who had volunteered to rebuild the city. She enjoyed the work, for though it was taxing, it was a change of scenery. She was often given the job of repairing roofs, as she could scale a building in a matter of seconds and land on her feet if she were to fall.

She had taken to unbraiding her hair and letting the wind toss it back from her face as she worked. She relished that freedom, a freedom she'd never enjoyed in the forest.

After a long day of work, she'd ride back to Erebor for dinner. This meal was always spent with Kili and his family, who had gotten used to her elven features relatively quickly.

Findrir, Kili's father, would sometimes joke that Neither of his sons had fallen in love with dwarves and that he would bet his wife fifty gold pieces that Freya would also choose to marry outside of their race.

Dis had emphatically refused to take him up on any such bet.

Four months and one week after the battle's end, Kili had asked for her hand in marriage. She didn't think either one of them stopped smiling for the rest of that day.

Dis, thank the Valar, had immediately taken charge of the preparations, which included five nights of feasting and dancing.

"Don't you think a feast such as that will exhaust our resources?" Tauriel had asked.

"Nonsense," Dis answered, "the men of Dale say the long lake is filling with fish once again, the land here is now growing fertile, and the mountains to the north are full of game to be hunted."

And that had been that.

Tauriel had no desire to wait eight months to be married, but Kili insisted on his elder brother being there for the occasion, so they would wait.

The elder prince had been made Lord of Erebor, Dain's second in command, and three days later had left the mountain. Accompanied only by Dwalin, Gloin, and Gimli, Fili had gone back to Ered Luin to close the affairs of the settlement and bring its people home to Erebor.

As much as she wanted to be married, Tauriel respected Kili's wish and went about her work each day with cheer. With every roof she fixed and every building she helped to reassemble, she saw a once strong people emerging from the rubble.

And Tauriel was glad to be a part of it.

* * *

The setting sun set the white city aflame.

Its final gift to Valinor before it sank below the waves of the endless ocean.

That night, some in the city sang songs of the sun's bravery. Their lyrics told the story of a fiery star who surrendered itself to the darkness just so its lover, the silver moon, could look upon the world for a few hours each day.

The songs were beautiful.

But I didn't sing along. I hadn't been able to sing at all in the past months.

I was absolutely sick of the love songs that the unnaturally happy people of this place sang.

As I gazed out over the city, filled with dancing flames and the voices of elves and men lifted in song I wished to be anywhere else in the world.

I'd marveled at the place's pure and ethereal beauty for all of three days before the realization that I was stuck there settled inside me permanently...as did the resentment of the happiness around me.

The people hailed me as a fallen hero, and I was reminded over and over again of what I had given for Middle Earth.

And I didn't regret it.

Not for one second.

But I missed Erebor desperately. I missed the people who dwelt within it.

But I didn't often allow myself to think about them. Because when I thought about the company and Tauriel and even Freya, who I'd known for such a short time, a sense of hopelessness fell over me.

That was why, more than half a year after my death, I hadn't visited my grandfather's forges.

Not once.

I didn't want to see the dwarven architecture and artistry...the marks of a culture that I had fallen in love with.

Reminders of the prince I'd taken for my husband.

I kept to the second-floor apartments I had been given, only leaving to visit the halls of Mandos.

I'd argued with the gatekeeper on seven different occasions before giving up entirely. I'd begged my grandparents to tell me if there was any way back home.

They'd reminded me that this was my home...my birthright as a Valarindi. Sure, I was respected and even looked up to for all that I had done and all that I had given, but it still felt wrong.

Each time I tried to explain this to my grandparents, they shook their heads and told me that they could do nothing...that they could say nothing to Mandos on my behalf.

"You know, even the young who die come here with joy in their hearts," said my grandmother's voice from behind me.

I turned my head to see her breeze through an arch draped in sheer curtains and float onto my private balcony.

She joined me at the marble ledge, resting her forearms its surface in a pose that mimicked my own. Somehow, she managed to make the movements seem ethereal.

The sight of it was nothing more than a painful reminder that my own movements had become just as graceful as hers and my body had become similarly tall and graceful in build.

I sighed heavily and looked once more into the city below.

Beautiful.

Lively.

And completely wrong for me.

"I feel as though I left something there. Not a person but a part of myself. A task left unfinished," I said.

She must have sensed the restraint in my voice, for not a moment had passed when she said, "Say what is on your mind, Aria. It does us no good to exchange meaningless words."

I laughed, a sharp barking sound that huffed out of me.

"Why? Because I shouldn't waste my breath? Oh, wait, I know. It's because life

because life's too short to waste words, isn't it," I said.

"Aria-"

"No," I cut across her speech, "everyone here is happy and peaceful and contented. I can't even join in the singing here. Not one word. Because they're singing about life and love and I know...I know that what I did should not have been my end," I said, immediately regretting the sharpness of my words.

"Love, nobody's really ready for death," she said, reaching over to tuck a lock of gently waved raven hair behind my ear.

"Now, I know what you are going through, but-"

I pulled out of her reach. The hair was the worst part of the transformation. It was smooth and sleek, and barely my own. Granted, it complimented my alabaster skin, but it wasn't a part of me. Just like the respectful looks I got in the streets, just like my height and grace.

"You're immortal, how could you understand?" I asked, before going completely still.

I turned back to my grandmother, making no attempt to hide the gleam in my eye.

"Grandmother, exactly how much of your power flows in my veins?" I asked.

She didn't say anything, but the ghost of a smile flitted across her face.

"Please," I said. I was willing to beg her to confirm the meaning behind that smile.

"I have told you on more than one occasion that I may not reveal to you the specifics behind your death, but I will say this," here she paused, her gaze darting towards the domed structure at the highest point of the city. As if its occupants were scrutinizing her every move.

"Your body was not buried but disappeared from Ravenhill along with your spirit. Secondly, on an unrelated note, the powers of any Valar allow them to walk amongst the people of every race and appear as just another one of their kind. Thirdly, there are barriers between this place and Middle Earth. The sea just beyond this city is one of them. Do with that information what you will," she said.

I was so busy processing the information to pull away when she kissed my forehead and departed the same way she had come.

Death, the very meaning of it was the separation of body and spirit. The Valar were immune to that separation. If I had disappeared...if this body was my own, changed to better allow me to walk among the people of this land, and not a new one fashioned for my afterlife-

I could barely stand to finish the thought, for it was an impossible one.

But...finally, the words came in a hushed whisper. "I'm still alive."

The snap of my life's tether hadn't been the sound of my death at all. It had been the feeling of my body slipping between places.

My grandparents certainly weren't responsible for taking me against my will, so it had to have been Mandos, making good on his promise to take me away the moment my strength flagged long enough to do it.

I, too, turned towards Mandos' seat high on the hill.

But I calmed the rage that had begun to boil beneath my skin. There had been a time when I would've marched up the hill to confront the Valar for what he had done.

I was not that girl anymore.

Mandos was not my enemy, whether or not I agreed with his actions.

I had learned to pick my battles wisely.

And now, as my attention turned to that last bit of information, I knew that my next battle would be waged against the sea that lay beyond the city.


	50. Travels and homecomings

**Dear readers, I am not dead. I haven't been spirited away to Valinor with Aria. I've had experiences in the past couple of months that have made it hard to find time to write and I shall leave it at that. Thank you so much for the concern you've expressed through private messaging and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter 50**

I was immortal. I wasn't dead.

Those twin thoughts danced hand in hand through my mind as I took in my grandmother's words. Nobody had ever explicitly forbidden me from leaving the city, so I turned immediately to plotting my departure.

I shall elaborate little of my journey home, for it was (for the most part) uneventful.

I will say only this:

I took few things with me, a few provisions and a light cloak that favored beauty over practicality among them.

My decision to leave the white city by boat was a risky one at best. Once I managed to secure a vessel and leave the harbor under cover of night, I quickly discovered that I didn't know how to operate the blasted thing.

The process of making up for my lack of knowledge was long and arduous, but I managed to make it out of the harbor unscathed and I spent more time than I care to remember sailing those waters.

And after the two months of sailing waters and hiking the wilderness of Middle Earth, I came at last to the plains, valleys, and little rivers of the shire. I remembered that I had once thought never to see that part of the world again.

Oh, how wrong I had been.

When I passed the Shire, I experienced a shock.

In that shining city and on my trip across the sea, I had grown accustomed to the new height that came with the Valarindi form I'd taken after being transported from Ravenhill. After that trip that I had mistaken for my own death.

I forgot about the change entirely until I saw a pair of hobbits pulling a cart along a country lane.

I was floored to find myself several feet taller than either of them.

I recalled that my grandparents could change their forms in order to walk freely among the people of Middle Earth. I knew that I could do, and had done the same thing when my human body had shifted to that of a dwarf upon my first arrival in the Shire well over a year ago.

But I didn't shift to a shorter form when I saw the hobbits.

And I didn't shift forms when I reached the village of Bree, or anywhere along the road after that.

Oh, what a road it was.

Sometimes I would stay the night in a familiar nook or dell and I'd remember staying in the same place with my companions.

I'd remember what Fili or Kili and I had talked about in a certain spot. I crossed the star watching rock...that place where I'd told Fili my name.

And when I rested my hand upon it, I found that the hum of the stone beneath had stayed with me, somehow.

 _I remember you._ It seemed to say.

I left a bit of my own strength in that place when I left. As a wordless thank you for the strength it had given me, though I did not know it at the time.

In the weeks thereafter, I passed the stone trolls and Rivendell. I couldn't find my way back to the hidden valley, and besides, I wanted to get home.

I didn't have time for a visit that I knew would tack at least a week onto my travel time.

I rode quickly over the moors and rode only during the daytime, for memories of the wild ride on warg-back all those months ago still sent shivers down my spine, enough so that by night, I camped. Those were sleepless nights filled with pounding heartbeats and the memories of chilling howls and the fettered breath of the great beast that had borne me across those moors.

I rode low through the mountain pass, keeping a wise distance between myself and any caves that could conceal goblins and after a night spent amidst the ashen ruins of our battle in the trees, I rode for three days before reaching the Carrok.

The eagles had borne us farther than I thought they had, and I made a note to thank one if I ever saw them again.

* * *

One person to whom I _was_ able to express gratitude, was Beorn. I spent a night as his guest, and while there I learned many things from him.

When I reached his great wooden gates I knocked three times and listened to the thuds of my fist reverberate within.

I waited for what felt like several minutes before I heard Beorn's great booming voice from beyond the gates.

"Why do you come here and bang on my gates?"

I froze, unsure how I was to answer him.

"I should like to speak with the master of this house," I said, after a moment's pause.

"I am the master of this house," he said slowly.

One of the gates creaked open just enough for me to see his form. Though I had grown considerably, I was still dwarfed by him.

My gaze remained on his face as he looked me up and down.

I saw thoughts register on his face.

Saw the recognition of my facial features.

The frown as he noted my height.

The silky waves of my once wildly curled hair.

And finally he said "how come you to my halls, when word of your death reached my ears many months ago?"

"The reports must've been exaggerated," I said.

I shrugged and lifted my lips in a casual smile.

He studied me for several heartbeats before saying "You are much changed."

I anticipated this response. I'd spent the past few hours debating my response.

I was in desperate need of supplies, for I knew that they would be scarce once I entered Mirkwood. The price for Beorn's aid, I had realized, would be the truth.

"I have a tale to impart," I said, and he stared at me long and hard before making me swear that I would harm no creature living within the walls of his home.

Once I swore it, he opened the door just enough for me to slip through.

It shut with a great thunk that sounded of finality. I was about to let one more person in on my secret.

Once inside, he offered me a seat and a meal of buttered bread, honey, and milk. The food was better than any I'd eaten in ages, for I had been on the road nearly five months!

While I ate, I told him my story. I told him of my quest, my lineage, my "death" and the suggestions I had left behind.

"So you are responsible for the young prince's decision to abdicate the throne to his cousin," Beorn mused in his gruff tones.

"I am," I confirmed.

"Why?" he asked.

Rather than respond with the quip " _why what?"_ as I was tempted to do, I gave him a straightforward answer.

"I instructed Fili to abdicate because Middle Earth will soon see battle once again. A war in which each battle is far greater than the one we fought last year."

Beorn sat back in his great chair, his eyes drifting over the many carvings along his walls-lost in thought.

"And this you have seen," he finally said, "how?"

"That is my own secret to keep. I can only swear to you that it is true and ask you to believe me."

Another long moment of silence passed. This time, his eyes remained fixed on mine and it took every bit of will in my body not to look down at my plate.

"I believe you."

I let out a painfully visible sigh of relief.

"And I will watch," said Beorn, "I will watch Middle Earth for the signs of this great battle. When the time comes, I will step out of the shadows again, if need be. You, Valarindi, you must do the same."

"I will stand with the people of this land when the time comes to fight," I said.

"And you must watch."

I nodded.

"I will."

A shiver ran down my spine.

 _Watch._

I was to watch Middle Earth as he did.

As Elrond and Galadriel did.

As Gandalf did.

The next morning, Beorn offered me a sturdy mare, her saddlebags packed with hearty food for the road ahead of me.

I didn't like the idea of carrying that food all the way through Mirkwood but I didn't test my new alliance with Beorn by asking him to allow his precious horse to brave the journey through Mirkwood.

Making the trek through the hallucinogenic forest was alone could hardly have been worse if I'd done it while drunk. Despite my triumph over battle and death I managed to lose the trail three times.

In addition, I nearly fell into the river that incapacitated Bombur and I barely managed to escape a couple of menacing, yet very much smaller, spiders just outside Thranduil's realm.

I don't know how much time I spent in that horrid place but by the time I emerged on the shores of the Long Lake, my provisions were nearly spent.

It was there that I encountered a second problem.

I could not cross the lake.

It was time to make an attempt at using one of my grandparent's gifts.

And the idea that slipped into my mind then was so clear that I nearly slapped myself in the face for not thinking about it months before.

I set down my empty saddlebags and turned my focus to the part of my mind that could sing to living stone and command it to great effect.

The part of my mind I had inherited from the Valar.

But I did not use that blood to command the stony bank on which I stood.

No, I used it to command my own body.

Change.

 _Change._

I said it aloud, I willed my blood to follow my order.

And it did.

I shifted.

Not into a beast that could swim through the cold waters of the Long Lake, but into a creature that could soar effortlessly above them.

A raven.

I caught my reflection in the water as I took off. I was beautiful. Sleek and dark as the hair on my head had been only moments ago. To my dismay, I saw my clothing piled next to my saddlebags on the bank. I consoled myself only in the thought that I would have had to get new clothes anyway once I reached Erebor.

Valarindi clothes would not fit the petite dwarflike form I would reclaim before seeing my family again.

My heart lept in my chest as I realized that I could reach Erebor by nightfall. I could see my friends again by nightfall.

Fili.

I could see Fili again before nightfall.

And for the first time in nearly nine months, I wanted to sing. To sing for joy, for the life I could reclaim. For the husband I loved and would soon see again.

But my raven could not sing, so I threw myself into the sky. I soared high above the mists that clung to the water, high over the ruins of Laketown, and I reveled in the feeling of the wind beneath my wings as it carried me towards the late summer sun.

I flew for over an hour before I cleared a rocky ridge that I vaguely remembered hiking across and saw it.

There, across the valley, stood the city of Dale. Still under construction, still healing and mending...but proud.

I would've smiled for all the world had I not traded my lips for a beak.

But that smile would not have been for Dale. No, that smile would have been for the newly paved road, the beautiful gates, and the smoke that poured from my home.

From Erebor.

The forges were lit and people came and went below with an air of joy and purpose. Erebor was alive again. And I wanted so very much to be a part of that new life.

Well, a life that was several months old.

As I swept low across the valley, I could see that the dwarves of Erebor were not the only life to have returned to the valley since my departure. Sprouts of greenery and sturdy little wildflowers lined the road at odd intervals.

This place was beginning to heal.

 _Thank you, grandmother._

For it was Yavanna's gift that brought the life back to the valley. Thanks to her, the desolation of Smaug was no more.

I flew through the open gates of the mountain and into the entry hall beyond. I was met with a myriad of sounds, scents, and colors that all beckoned me towards them. The guardhouse was rebuilt and the colors of Durin now hung bright and proud from the ceiling of that hall. Guards in Dain's uniform stood watch at the entrances to the rest of the mountain.

Entrances I knew well.

I chose to fly straight ahead, into the main chasm of Erebor, carefully avoiding the lower halls. I didn't need to see the halls of gold before I saw my family.

The chasm was no longer enshrouded in shadows as it had been when I first entered it. Now, there was light and sound everywhere I flew. A couple of the halls towards the top of the mountain city had been opened for what looked like a grand celebration and below the halls, the markets had been opened.

They were not full, many shops were still darkened, but dust no longer hung over Erebor.

I thanked the industrious nature of dwarves for that miracle.

I nearly changed back into my true form several times as I caught the aromas wafting from the culinary shops.

I nearly collided with a wall when I heard the talk wafting from those very same shops.

Talk of the food that needed to be brought to the upper halls later that day.

Food for a certain royal wedding.

After my near miss with the aforementioned wall, I circles back around to listen closer.

"And Lord Kili said that we shouldn't worry about food so much now that it's the third day of the feast," said a ruddy-faced dwarf, from just beyond the window of his shop.

"And what did you tell 'im back?" asked another, considerably tougher looking dwarf.

"I told him that we'd supply the highest quality food for him even if he decided to extend the wedding feast by a week."

I squawked.

Married?

Kili and Tauriel were married?

It was the best news I could have hoped for! And, moreover, I now knew where to find my people. Not one member of the company would miss Kili's wedding. Especially not his elder brother.

I chided myself for being selfish and tried to turn my thoughts to Kili and Tauriel as I flew off in the direction of the royal manor, hidden away from the city. From the chatter of a couple of guards near the entryway, I had learned that Dain and his family had taken up residence in a grand suite of apartments in the center of the city. I had hoped that would be the case. For it meant that Fili's family probably still shared the royal manor.

And that place was my best shot at getting myself some clothing.

Unless I wanted to steal it.

Which I most certainly did not.

The sight of the waterfall and the house of jade green stone would have brought tears to my eyes if I wasn't a raven who couldn't cry.

I glided through a window on the third floor, straight into the library.

Oh, that beautiful library. The great oak work table in its center was strewn with maps and blueprints for different parts of the mountain. I perched on the table for a better look and a letter caught my eye.

It was more of a note, really, but the hand was familiar.

 _Kili,_

 _This morning we reached the river running. With the speed we're going, we'll be home in three days. I still hold the position that it is unfair for you and Tauriel to wait until I return to get married but am glad to be a part of the ceremony._

 _Fili_

If the wedding had been three days ago, the note must've been a week or so old. So this party was to celebrate Fili's return as well as Kili's wedding.

I touched the note with a tallon and flew from the table to the door.

This next part was going to be tricky.

I prayed to every higher power that nobody was home, shifted into the form I'd taken when I'd first come to Middle Earth, and opened the door. As soon as there was enough room to fly through, I shifted back into my raven form and flew into the hall.

Down the hall, I came to the door that had been Fili's and mine for the one night we'd had together.

I turned to make sure nobody was in the hall before following my hastily assembled plan.

 _Shift to dwarf form._

 _Open the door._

 _Shift to raven form._

 _Enter._

 _Back to dwarf form._

 _Shut the door._

I scanned the beautiful bedroom and found it mostly unchanged from the time I'd spent there.

The large bed in the center of the room was freshly made, though not with much skill.

The armchair and chest of drawers, both embossed with icons of some dwarvish significance that I'd never bothered to ask Fili about, were still where I'd last seen them. The largest difference in the room was the rucksack leaned against the wall by the wardrobe.

Fili's.

I knew not by the style or by recognition, but by the absurd number of knives and throwing axes piled beside it.

I frowned as I got a better look at them. The blades were not polished.

Odd.

Fili always kept his weapons in the best condition possible. And the bed. The bed was messily made. As if he'd gone through the motions without really caring that the product of his labor was subpar at best.

What was wrong?

Was this because of me?

"Oh, pull yourself together," I said aloud, "you can ask him when you see him."

I tried and failed to keep the smile from my voice. After months and months...finally.

"And for the Valars sakes put some clothes on," I added, turning to the wardrobe and opening it.

It was filled with jackets, breeches, tunics, and shirts all fit for a king. Everything was too big for me, of course, but I didn't care. I'd wear a potato sack if it meant seeing them again.

Seeing him again.

The clothing still smelled like him, a comforting scent that I'd become so accustomed to. I half expected him to come walking around the corner.

But of course he didn't.

As I searched for the smallest tunic and shirt, I glanced to the bottom of the wardrobe and found a chest. Closed and locked.

I got down onto my hands and knees to better examine it and found a pair of silver initials above the lock.

 _AV_

"Aria Valarindi," I whispered.

I ran a finger along the strong metal lock and it clicked open.

I grinned at what I saw beneath the lid. It was all there. My red cape had been hemmed in silver thread and cleaned along with the rest of my clothing. Not to be worn, but to be kept as memories. Memories of a girl who had died in battle.

My heart sunk in my chest as I removed item after item from the chest. This was the part I hadn't wanted to consider. I'd avoided thinking about it for all these months, as best I could. I was able to handle the waiting. Missing him. Wanting to see him again, more than anything.

But the thought of him mourning me-the thought that I had caused him pain...that was unbearable.

My blue converse shoes were at the bottom of the trunk, along with a pair of elegant slippers. The latter were meant to be worn to formal occasions or so I had been told when I pulled them out of a trunk and asked Kili what they were for. Was it really nearly a year since that had happened?

I took the shoes from the trunk and set them beside my forest green tunica and trousers. My white dress would have been a more appropriate style for the occasion, but that dress was _my_ wedding gown. I wasn't going to wear that out.

I dressed, fastened my cape about my shoulders, and went into the bathing room to check my reflection.

My face was more elven than I remembered. My ears now came to delicate tips but my once silken waves were back to their usual wild curls.

I was different, yes, but still utterly myself.

I returned to the bedroom, where I placed the rest of my clothing back in the chest and took a final look around.

There would be more time to visit this place but now that I was fit to be seen in public, I was going to find my family.

I opened the door just as I had on the morning of the Battle of the Five Armies. On that fateful morning I had walked towards death and now I walked towards a new life.

I had to struggle not to run all the way through the city.

Over the years, I'd read books and seen movies in which the phrase "I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer" was used. That phrase in no way applied to me. The closer I got to the great hall, the more anxious I became.

As I passed through the market my heart became a battering ram in my chest. I hardly noticed the bright colors and rich scents of cooking food, or the dwarves that milled about the street.

I wound through the streets, some rich with the signs of inhabitants, some still empty and dark.

Closer and closer until I stood at the steps of the great hall.

Light and music poured out of the vast open doors. It was as if Kili wanted the entire mountain to know of his happiness. While passing through the market I had learned that any and all dwarves of Erebor were welcome to attend the celebration. So, of course he had ordered the doors to be left open.

I looked at the stair in front of my slippered foot, inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, and took the first step upwards.

 **Note: The next (and final) chapter has already been written and will be published within the next couple of days.**

 **I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter or on Aria's journey as a whole!**


	51. The Beginning, the End

**CHAPTER 51**

By the time I had reached the sixth step, I could see the people within. Some clad richly, some in more simple clothes. All laughing or drinking ale or dancing in the center of the room. The dance was beautiful and quite complex. I had to smile at how refined it all seemed...at how I had spent so much time with a group of dwarves and still remained blind to such a great part of their culture.

And then I saw Bofur and Dwalin at a table, gabbing over mugs of ale, and I had to retreat a step in pure shock.

Tears sprang unbidden to my eyes and I brought a hand to my mouth.

Their faces had been in my thoughts for so long and now they were there, unaware of my presence. Bofur was wearing an even more preposterous hat and as for Dwalin, the fine clothing hadn't changed him in the slightest.

I pulled my hood low over my face and climbed the rest of the steps, eyes darting around the hall in search of more of my former traveling companions.

They were all there!

There was Fili, engaged in solemn conversation with Dain at a table on a raised dais. Even from all the way across the hall, I could see the change wrought in him over the months I'd been gone. His posture, normally that proud and confident dwarf in his prime, had changed. He seemed haggard, despite his pristine midnight blue tunic. Perhaps it would have been better to find him after the party. To meet him in private where I could explain things. That would have been the more tactful decision at any rate.

But I was here now, and I couldn't just walk away from him. Not again.

I tore my eyes away from him and saw Kili and Tauriel seated at the center of that high table. The former was grinning ear to ear and the latter laughing, presumably at whatever Kili had just whispered to her. Gloin was seated further down the table, holding an easy conversation with Oin and a pair that I recognized as Fili and Kili's parents. Nori, Ori and Bifur were dancing while Dori, Bombur, and Balin stood at a buffet table, tasting an array of little tea cakes that wouldn't have been out of place at a hobbit's party.

I couldn't stand it. Seeing all of them well. Tauriel, who I had only ever seen in warrior's garb now wore a dress in the rich fabrics of Erebor, although the cut remained that of an elven style. Kili, who I had last seen dead on the ground at Ravenhill, looked in excellent health. They all did.

Almost.

I took a deep breath to calm my thunderous heartbeat and headed for the high table, tact be damned.

"Who are you looking for, exactly?" asked a bright voice from behind me.

I turned to see its owner, a vision in a light blue dress, her golden waves falling loose down her back, save for the warriors braid at each temple.

Freya's eyes widened.

"Aria?" she asked, although she must've already suspected.

My stunned silence must've been reply enough, for she reached out and pushed the hood back from my face, glanced toward the high table, and glared at me.

"May we go someplace private?" she asked.

I opened my mouth to reply but before the words had left my lips Freya spun to my other side, linked her right arm through my left, and said "good. There's a storage room just off the hall."

And we were off, walking along the side of the room. When we reached the door to the storage room, Freya shoved me in and slammed the door behind us.

I barely had a chance to look around the room, lit only be a dim oil, before she wheeled to face me and spoke.

"Explain," she said, every word laced with a simmering rage that was both awe inspiring and terrifying to behold.

"Explain to me how you aren't dead and just why you choose now to come back here. You broke my brother's heart, you know. He still mourns you. After the battle, I didn't see him laugh or smile for anyone save for our mother, and even then he wasn't himself. Since he's returned from Ered Luin with our people, he hasn't seemed much better. And now, you've just waltzed into Kili's wedding without a scratch or a scrape on you and I'm willing to bet that you expect to be welcomed back with open arms."

I'd had enough. I needed to say something. Something to stop the tears in my eyes from falling. Tears at the thought of him miserable on my account.

"You think I chose that? I was taken straight to Valinor from Ravenhill and I've spent every second since then trying to get home."

Freya just stared at me for a moment, probably searching my face for any sign of a lie. The anger in her eyes finally began to cool and she said "how?"

"I was nearly spent, so my grandfather brought me back to Valinor. Once there, I was told I could not return to Middle Earth because it was not the land of my birth. In the beginning, my grandparents struggled to keep some of the other Valar from sending me back to my birthland. I wasn't told that I hadn't died on Ravenhill for months. Once I knew, I took a boat, sailed back to Middle Earth and trekked here alone."

Freya crossed her arms and stared at me. I waited with baited breath for her reply.

"Dain asked Fili to be his second in command before he went to Ered Luin. He left before he could formally accept the position. He will do that tonight. Go to him then, I beg you. Fix. What. Is. Broken."

She wasn't begging me. No, I saw the command in her eyes. Whatever fear I felt at having to explain my absence to those I loved disappeared. Her resolve was infectious. In fact, I was beginning to think it a crime that a queen could not rule Erebor.

"I shall welcome you as a sister but first I want my brother back."

"Of course," I said. I inclined my head to her and cleared my throat.

With that, she relaxed her posture and turned for the door.

"Freya."

She looked over her shoulder.

"I am sorry. I would never have chosen this."

"But you did," she said, shaking her head.

"You chose to bring Kili back and for that I am grateful."

It was only then that I understood the price I had paid for saving Kili's life. It had not been my life alone. No, I had taken a part of Fili with me, and now I had to give it back. After so many years of being passed off by my parents, it had been a struggle to believe that someone could love me like he did. And I hated the thought that because of that love, I hadn't been the only member of his family who had missed his laugh all these months.

But I had the power to change that, so I said, "It was the least I could do after everything your brothers did for me."

A gleam entered her eyes as she beckoned me towards the door.

"That being said, I still intend to punish you for the months of waiting, whether you were responsible for them or not."

"Punish me?" I asked as she opened the door.

"Yes. I'm going to formally introduce you to my parents."

* * *

I cringed.

"How much do they know?" I asked.

"About you? Oh, they know that you're Fili's wife. They know you saved both their sons from an unavoidable death and they know that you have a tendency to spit on dwarvish traditions."

I raised a brow at the last statement.

She chuckled as we linked arms and began the walk across the hall. I had to stare at her, for it was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The weight, I realized, of knowing that her brother had never truly returned to her.

She began to elaborate on my disregard for tradition.

"According to Kili, you traveled alone until you met up with the company, blackmailed the rightful King Under the Mountain, you prefer a fully grown horse to a pony, and you wear your wedding band on your left-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the music stopped and Dain stood.

The crowd hushed and the King Under the Mountain spoke.

"I would like to give my congratulations, once again, to my kinsman. May his union bring both he and his wife joy and may it strengthen ties that have been for too long neglected."

"I think he almost gagged, just now," I whispered to Freya, who smiled and nodded. Indeed, Dain didn't seem pleased at all with the new bond between his people and their woodland neighbors.

Dain went on to tell the gathering of his gladness at the safe return of their people from the settlement of Ered Luin.

"As I understand, this safe return is owed to the outstanding leadership of Prince Fili, here," he said, gesturing to where Fili sat.

"Prince?" I asked.

"He abdicated the throne, not the title that is his by right of birth," said Freya.

"These reports only stand to prove that I could not find a better right hand in this mountain. Do you accept the appointment, Fili son of Findrir?" Dain asked, turning to Fili.

"Rather eloquent tonight, isn't he?" I said.

Freya had to stifle a laugh.

"He told Ori what he wanted to say. Ori wrote the statement," she said, her voice barely audible over the crowd's applause. Fili had accepted.

I had a clear view of him from where I stood. He nodded his thanks to Dain as the King clapped him on the shoulder.

He didn't smile.

The guests were quick to form a receiving line and Dain and Fili stepped down from the dais to greet each one.

"Glad I'm not in his boots. He's going to have to listen to over two hundred people tell him they're at his service. Come on, we're getting in line," said Freya.

"I'm cutting," I said after we took our places near the back of the line. It stretched all the way to the door and I didn't want to wait while every other guest in attendance bowed or got down on one knee to tell _m_ _y husband_ they were at his service.

"You're what?" Freya asked.

"Cutting. Moving ahead in the line," I said.

"Oh no you're not," said Freya, linking arms with me.

"Just wait."

So I did. I waited as the receiving line shortened. As we were able to move closer and closer to Fili.

Close enough to hear his voice. He thanked each guest politely as they congratulated him and offered him their service, but there was no joy in his voice, no laughter. Just that core sense of duty that he'd always possessed.

It was then that my thoughts turned to the night before the battle. We had both been exhausted and near sleep. I remembered clinging to consciousness only because I knew that once sleep claimed me, I might never have another moment like this: My head resting on Fili's shoulder, his arm around me, completely at peace.

"Aria?" he'd asked.

"Awake."

"I think I've spent too much time thinking about tomorrow," he said.

"I've been thinking about tomorrow for the past four years, your response is normal," I murmured.

I felt his laugh rumble through his chest and I pressed closer to him.

"I mean, I've been so fixated on the worst possible outcome that I haven't looked past that. Not until now," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my eyelids heavy as I tried to stay awake.

"Only that if we win, if we make it through tomorrow, I'm ready for the future. For whatever the world throws our way next."

"Why the sudden interest in the future?" asked, finally letting my eyelids remain shut.

"Because I'll have the honor of making that future alongside you," he said. My eyes had flown open, an idea striking me.

"I love you," I'd said.

For all those months spent in Valinor and on the journey home, I'd clung to the smile in his voice as he'd said "and I you."

As soon as he'd fallen completely asleep, I'd slipped out of bed, found my dress, and slipped out of our room and into the library. It was there I'd written him a letter. Just in case he had to build his future alone. My last thought before climbing back into bed nearly a half hour later was that I hoped he'd never read it.

The prince standing just a few dwarves ahead of me had read that letter. He'd read it and for the past year he'd had to come to terms with the fact that he'd have a chance to build that improbable future...and he'd have to do it alone.

Would he resent me for that? For the months I had made him wait without hope.

Freya must've seen my facial expression because she leaned over to me and said, "earlier you used a term, cutting, yes?"

I nodded.

"Well, I'm doing that. Stay here," she said and proceeded to step out of line and pass the three dwarves that remained between Fili and me.

So much for waiting our turn.

"You're important again," she proclaimed, clasping his forearm.

"Frey, I lead all of Ered Luin across Middle Earth. That was important," he said, returning the gesture. A warrior's greeting.

His voice was strained and I hated the words as much as I loved the one who spoke them. I knew him better than to believe his humor was genuine. Not when he'd been so reserved around the other guests. No, the quip was for Freya, to assure her that he was alright.

Ahead, Freya stepped to Fili's side to allow the next guest forward.

And then the next.

Just as the third and final guest was stepping away from Fili, Freya said something to him about Kili and Tauriel and he turned to look at the high table.

"Congratulations on your appointment," I said, unable to mask the joy in my tone.

"Thank you," he said, still looking at the high table.

Fine. If he wanted to pay attention to the high table than I was going to continue to play the congratulatory guest.

I smiled and dropped onto one knee, bowing my head.

When I spoke, I laced my voice with laughter and sarcasm.

"And I am forever at your service, oh Great Prince," I said, exaggerating each word more than the last.

"What," Fili said, his voice sharp. He recognized me. I heard rather than saw him turn to face me.

I raised my head, heart a thunderous beat in my chest, to look right into his Durin blue eyes.

"I said, I am forever at your service, oh Great Prince."

I didn't try to hide the grin that spread across my face as I looked into his.

"I heard...I heard what you said." His voice was breathless, his eyes wide and searching.

I saw them there- the words that he couldn't speak.

 _You're here._

 _Is this possible?_

 _How?_

He reached for my hand, his fingers steady as he held them out for me to take.

I couldn't say the same for my own but as I took his hand, the warmth of it was oh so familiar I that laughed aloud, stood, and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as tight as I dared.

After a moment's pause, he did the same.

For a moment, all I could think to do was stand there and hold him and breath in his familiar scent.

Tears of joy sprang to my eyes and I didn't care who heard me cry.

"Are you real?" he said, his words low, meant for my ears alone.

I nodded and laughed through my tears. His only response was to hug me tighter.

"You won't believe," I said at last, "how hard it is to get out of Valinor."

He pulled back, just enough to look into my eyes.

Disbelief still radiated from him as he said, "it's impossible to leave Valinor once..."

 _Once you're dead._ His eyes said all too plainly.

"Well then it's a good thing I never died," I said, lowering my voice to a whisper, "apparently I'm immortal. You know, unkillable."

Fili smiled, his eyes now alight.

"I know what immortal means, smart aleck."

As I leaned in closer to him, I said,"That's certainly not a Middle Earthen name to call someone."

"You won't believe this," he said, "but last year I was at dinner with a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, and I met a lady from a different world. She was always saying things like that."

"She sounds like trouble."

His low laugh was a brush of warm air against my lips. "You have no idea."

And then his lips were on mine and he was pulling us closer together with one hand and burying the other in the hair at the nape of my neck. There was a year of missing and wanting and regretting in that kiss. But also a promise for the future. A promise that this was not our end. A promise that this was only our beginning. I could have stayed there forever, secure in his arms, his lips soft against mine. But outside, outside our little piece of time and space was a ballroom full of dwarves.

I gasped and my eyes flew open. I pulled no more than an inch or two away and looked up into his eyes.

"I think the entire room is watching us," I whispered.

"I don't care," Fili said and he leaned in to kiss me again.

"You might not care but I certainly do," said Kili, who had left his spot at the table and was now standing, arms crossed, a few feet away from us.

"If you don't stop, I will tell Dwalin to physically eject the both of you from this hall," he said. Practically the same thing he'd said when he'd caught us in Thranduil's dungeons.

Fili and I broke apart altogether and turned as one to face the younger prince, our hands still intertwined.

"How is it that every single time we try to get a moment to ourselves, you show up?" he asked.

"Not every time," Kili said, that classic grin of his turned mischievous, "I left you completely alone on your wedding night."

"As well you should've," Fili said, glancing to me and then back to his brother.

"Actually," I said, "I was very disappointed you didn't come by to bang me over the head with a pillow as a wake-up call."

Kili laughed, surely remembering the many times that had happened during our journey to Erebor.

"I would've done just that, but Fili would've banged me over the head with one of his fighting axes."

"Pity, that would've been amusing," I said and Kili closed the gap between us and hugged me.

When we pulled apart, the rest of the company was around us and Dwalin was shouting for the other guests to return to their merrymaking.

Then, I was hit with a multitude of pats on the back and hugs and handshakes and I was asked to tell the company how it was that I walked among them. So, I revealed the truth of my identity and of how I left Valinor.

The truth I had wanted to reveal to them for months.

All of it.

And then Dain was asking for someone to explain to him who in Durin's name I was.

I said my name was Aria, that I was at his service, and that had been the one to write him the warning note that summoned his army to Erebor.

"So you're Aria," said a voice from behind me. Female. And at its sound, the entire company fell silent.

Oh, great.

It was Dis standing behind me.

Princess of Erebor.

Descendant of Durin.

Lady of Ered Luin.

Fili's mother.

"Yes," I said and I let go of Fili's hand and turned to face her.

She was beautiful, dark-haired and blue-eyed like Thorin. Her regal air commanded respect from all whose eyes met her's.

A princess in every sense of the word.

She turned to Fili and raised an eyebrow.

What was wrong? I had been respectful, had I not?

My face was burning with embarrassment before Fili nodded to his mother once and Dis's posture relaxed. She extended a forearm towards me and I grasped it.

"A warriors greeting?" I asked.

"For all you did for this mountain and those who dwell within it."

I bowed my head in thanks as she released my arm. But then she was embracing me and I found myself utterly bewildered by the familiar gesture until she said, "and for what you did for my sons."

I returned the embrace.

* * *

It wasn't long before I was introduced to Findrir, who I liked enormously, and Gloin's wife Denola. She was a gentle female with a clever streak that was hard to ignore. Not at all the dwarrowdam I'd pictured when Gloin had bragged about her many virtues. Within ten minutes of meeting her, she'd offered me cooking lessons and Dwalin had told me that he'd pay me to except them.

I became so wrapped up in conversation that I forgot I hadn't eaten since breakfast. That is until my stomach growled loudly.

"Visit the dessert table with me?" Fili asked in a tone only I could hear.

We excused ourselves from the group of dwarves and walked arm in arm across the room.

"What do you think of them, my family," he said.

I shook my head in amazement.

"Your family is...they're amazing. Freya and I work well together and I think I will enjoy getting to know your parents."

"I know my ammad can be somewhat abrupt. I assure you she means well," Fili said.

"Abrupt? Yes, but you didn't need to tell me she means well, it's obvious."

"How so?"

"Well," I paused, searching for an example, "she smiles when your father tells a joke...even if she tells him it isn't humorous. It's obvious she loves him."

I couldn't help but think of my own parents. How different Dis and Findrir were. How lucky Fili, Kili, and Freya were.

Fili must have seen the look on my face because he said "they're yours too, you know," and he brushed a finger over the ring on my hand.

* * *

As soon as Fili and I made it back to the high table, Dain called him off to discuss the matter of his new position. As I took a seat beside Kili and Tauriel, I wished to join him - for a purpose.

A shiver ran down my spine as I recalled that I did have a purpose. My task was, perhaps, a higher one than any in this mountain. For while the dwarves were to rule and manage, I was to watch and wait.

For a time would come when I would be called upon to do so much more.

* * *

When his brother was out of sight, Kili's face sobered.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"I did that to you," he said.

I furrowed my brow and took a good look at Kili. There I beheld remorse and grief and some self-loathing that I had never, never seen in him before.

"No, you did not," I assured him.

He frowned.

"Aria, they told me everything," he said.

"What? They told you that you were gravely injured and that I healed you? Because that's what I recall."

"Don't," he said, "don't try to make it sound like anything other than what it was. They told me that I was dead, Aria. Dead. My heart stopped beating long before you found me on...on that hill."

He couldn't say the name. He wouldn't speak the word _Ravenhill._ Not after he'd lost Thorin in that place.

As I stared into those pained brown eyes, I realized that it was not just for Thorin's sake tthathe refused to speak the name of that hill...it was for my sake too.

"And I felt it," he went on. "I felt myself leave my body. I stayed close by but I certainly wasn't alive. And from what I heard, you were near blacking out yourself. You knew I was gone, too. You had no business deciding to heal me."

"Kili-" I cut in.

"No," he stopped me, "You knew you were trading your life for mine, so why did you do it?"

He was angry. I'd never seen him this angry before. Not at me.

My own temper rose to meet his but I hushed my voice so only he and Tauriel could hear.

"Because one day, when I was fourteen, I watched you and Fili die."

He froze. Whether it was at the bluntness in my words or the sharpness in my tone, I didn't care. I kept going.

"And I saw it so many times after that. And I wept for you. For both of you. I thought you were fictional. Just characters from a story. But I cried for you and wished that somehow I could change what I saw. And when I came here, to your world, and realized that I could see you and talk to you and be a part of your story, I also realized that you were actually going to die. For months I traveled with you and every day I was reminded that you were going to die. So yeah, when I got the chance to change that ending I did it and damned the consequences."

Utter silence reigned.

I just looked at Kili.

And he looked at me.

We said nothing for a while.

"You carried that for all those years?" he asked.

Something in his expression made me regret my tone.

I just nodded.

Tauriel, who had remained silent until that point said, "you saw everything?"

"I did."

"Thank you," she said, taking Kili's hand in her's.

* * *

And when she did, I gasped.

"That's exquisite," I said as I beheld the ring on her right finger. A many faceted diamond flanked by two tiny sapphires in a setting of delicate gold.

She smiled fondly at the ring.

"To remind me of the stars in the night sky," she said.

I looked at Kili and raised an eyebrow.

"Not bad, little brother. Not bad at all," I said.

"Excuse me? You're nineteen," Kili said.

"Twenty," I countered, "and married to your elder brother."

The argument continued until Fili returned with more dinner for the both of us and ended the fight by saying that since I was only Kili's sister by my marriage to him, the privilege of his birth order was extended to me.

"I am more than five hundred years old," said Tauriel, "Do you mean to tell me that I should call a twenty year old my elder sister?"

Fili, who was chewing a mouthful of roast pork, nodded politely, swallowed, and told Tauriel that her superb intellect more than made up for Kili's lack of it.

Tauriel, to her credit, didn't miss a beat in saying "That is high praise, considering that Kili possesses twice your intelect, Fili."

Fili just mouthed the words _twice your intellect_ and looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"I'm not backing you up on this one, I think she's right," I said and laughed at the look of utter betrayal on his handsome face.

* * *

"Why didn't your parents come with us?" I asked Fili as we walked behind the falls, arm in arm, on our way home.

"Oh, they think this place is too removed from the city. They live close to Dain."

"And Freya?"

"Bought her own set of apartments and is living independently," Fili said.

That bit of information didn't surprise me in the least.

"And you don't think it's too quiet? Too removed?" I asked, silently begging him to say no.

"I've been away, so I don't really know. But with you there, no, it won't be too quiet. That is, if you want to stay here," he said as we walked beneath the stone arches and neared the door to the mansion.

"I love this house. The library especially," I said as Fili produced a key from the inside of his jacket.

"The library is yours," he said, "consider it an incredibly late wedding gift."

I beamed. Because I'd have traded all the gold in Erebor for that library. Now I just had to learn to read the runes in which so many of the books were written.

"Hang on a moment," Fili said as he unlocked the door, "how did you get in? Those clothes were in a trunk in our bedroom."

As he let us into the house, I explained just how I'd gotten into the house earlier. By the time I told him that I could change my shape at will, we had climbed the staircase and reached the second floor landing.

"Aria," Fili said in a honeyed voice, "what would I have to do to get you to use that shape shifting ability to scare the living daylights out of Kili?"

I turned and leaned up to kiss him once, twice, thrice, before opening the door to our bedroom and heading inside.

"I have a few ideas," I said, and I smiled when I heard the door shut behind him.

* * *

When I awoke the next morning, in a real bed, in my own home, with Fili's sleeping figure beside me, I thought I was dreaming.

In fact, I pinched myself a good four times before Fili woke up and asked what I was doing.

When we finally got up and dressed, Fili went down stairs to brew some tea and I poked my head into the library.

The late summer sun shone down through the shafts in the ceiling and walls, warming the rich carpets and the oversized armchairs. I sat down in the chair I'd seen in that far away dream and leaned my head back to look up at the floor to ceiling shelves stacked end to end with books.

I noticed one, a couple of shelves up, that looked out of place. It was smaller, the binding a kin to that of earthen books.

I stood, crossed to the shelf and retrieved it. As soon as I saw the cover, I smiled.

"Don't know what possessed me to put that in here," Fili said, entering the room with an ale mug in each hand.

"Couldn't find any tea cups," he said, noticing my attention to the mugs.

"Anyway, after the battle, I just thought you would've liked it to be here," Fili said and shrugged.

"Romeo and Juliet," I read aloud. "A beautiful and tragic tale that ends in sorrow no matter how many times you read it."

Fili set the mugs down on the table and came to look over my shoulder.

He hugged me from behind and said into my ear "a good thing that story is nothing like ours."

I studdied the book, ripped and frayed, stained on every visible surface. Not so different from our own misadventures.

But the end, oh how different that end was.

So I nodded my agreement and said "a good thing indeed."

 **THE END**

 **Yes, sadly that was the final chapter of the story. This was the first writing project I've ever attempted so though it took a while, I'm glad we got there in the end. I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed the story and I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it!**

 **Some of you guys have asked if there will be a sequel. The simple answer is yes! I don't know when I'll be publishing it but it is on the horizon.**

 **Finally, I would love if you could drop a review telling me what you thought of the ending or the story overall. The ones I have received so far have just made my day!**

 **Thank you all for everything,**

 **ElvesofErebor**


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